View said to be of Val Duchesse

Opinions differ on the location depicted here. S. Pierron sees it as the village of Woluwé-Saint-Lambert, whilst other authors believe it is Val Duchesse. The buildings in the background have also been subject to differences of opinion. In reality, the painting evokes, more than depicts, the forested region of Soignes, with its very characteristic lakes. The sombre hues of the vegetation and the threatening sky give the impression of autumnal weather and create dramatic tension, something which is similar to some of Ruben’s late landscapes. The work’s meaning, however, goes beyond a simple poetic rendering. The foreman, workers and lumberjack, which were painted in the foreground by David Teniers II, link the painting to the traditional representation of months and their seasonal tasks. (See, for example, Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s “The Gloomy Day” (February/March), where peasants are cutting branches. This painting presents a composition which is a generally similar, inversed, copy of Arthois’ painting where the sky is also threatening.) They could also refer to the very profitable exploitation of the Soignes forest which was exclusively under the Duke’s governance at the time. (Sabine van Sprang, in 'Le peintre et l'arpenteur' [The Painter and the Surveyor])