Imitator of Jan van Goyen - Sailing Vessels on a River in a Breeze [1650s]

Imitator of Jan van Goyen - Sailing Vessels on a River in a Breeze [1650s], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

This picture shows a group of sailing boats making their way across the choppy waters of a Dutch river. In the distance the shore and the outline of an unidentified town can just be discerned. Ships of this type were used in the Netherlands to transport people and goods around the country. In the 17th century the country had a tight network of boat services between all the major towns and cities. 

In the past this painting was attributed to Jan van Goyen, mostly because of the false signature and date it once bore. It is now considered to have been painted by a follower, imitating the artist's late style.

[Oil on oak, 37.1 x 53.1 cm]