The enchanted castle

Although Jacob Maris's townscapes combine elements that he himself compiled, they none the less belong to our world in a way that this dream landscape by Matthijs does not. The castle towering high above the enchanted wood is the unattainable castle of the Sleeping Beauty or a vision of Paradise beyond the reach of mere mortals. All links with the Hague School have been lost. Opinions differ widely on the dating of both this landscape and a closely related second version in the Gemeentelijk Jan Cunencentrum in Oss. Dates between 1878 and 1888 have been suggested for these two works and also for one or two related etchings by Maris. De Gruyter even puts them - probably mistakenly – as late as 1900.

Source: R. de Leeuw, J. Sillevis, Ch. Dumas (eds.), The Hague School: Dutch masters of the 19th century, The Hague 1983