View of Dordrecht

Jan van Goyen painted between 1633 and 1655 over thirty views of Dordrecht, situated at the junction of the Maas, Waal and Rhine. The present painting is his only close-up view of the town from the north-east. Dominating the scene are the town’s defensive bastions and the Grote Kerk with its massive, truncated tower and four-faced clock. A stiff breeze has whipped up the Maas into choppy peaks. Passengers in the foreground ferry, hunkered down against the wind, are all too familiar with this uncomfortable form of transport.