Herengracht, Amsterdam
Jan Wijnantsc. 1661
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
This painting is the first depiction of Amsterdam in which a canal is given prominence. Flanked by picturesque, tree-lined avenues and exquisite mansions, the Herengracht (Gentleman's Canal) was one of Amsterdam's most important waterways. The precision with which Jan Wijnants portrayed the topography of the city enables the viewer to witness the development of this location. To the left of the canal, Wijnants depicted a lumber yard, on which, in 1662, the architect Philip Vingoboons built four houses for the merchant Jacob Cromhout. Furthermore, soon after Wijanants completed this painting the canal was expanded.
- Title: Herengracht, Amsterdam
- Creator: Jan Wijnants (Dutch, 1635-1684)
- Date Created: c. 1661
- Physical Dimensions: Framed: 87 x 101 x 9.2 cm (34 1/4 x 39 3/4 x 3 5/8 in.); Unframed: 67.2 x 81.6 cm (26 7/16 x 32 1/8 in.)
- Provenance: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, (Frederick Mont, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art), (C. Duits, London)1, (Sale, Sotheby’s, London, July 3, 1963, no. 17, sold to C. Duits)1, Violet Sassoon, Heathfield Park, Sussex, consigned to Sotheby’s, (Sale, Galerie Charpentier, Paris, March 31, 1938, no. 45)1
- Type: Painting
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1964.419
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Inscriptions: Signed lower left: "J. Wijnants [with remains of an inscription below]"
- Department: European Painting and Sculpture
- Culture: Netherlands, 17th century
- Credit Line: Gift of Harry D. Kendrick
- Collection: P - Netherlandish-Dutch
- Accession Number: 1964.419
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