A special painting: Gerrit Berckheyde

Berckheyde is the specialist in cityscapes of the seventeenth century. One of his best-known works is The Golden Bend in Amsterdam’s Herengracht, from the Rijksmuseum collection. In this painting, he applies the same careful view to the Muiderslot Castle.

Berckheyde paints the castle on a summer day, seen from the northeast. With a vista through the trees, he draws the viewer into the painting. The castle is illuminated on the gate side. To the left in the background you can see warm orange light, showing that it is still early.

Life at the castle is already in full swing. In the foreground, three fishermen are at work in and around the moat. Two of them are pulling a net to shore, while the third is working on another net from his boat. Two decently dressed gentlemen with a hunting dog look on. Perhaps one of them is the lord of the castle. A sixth figure can be seen on the left in the background: someone refreshing himself or doing some laundry in the moat.