The Old Castle
by MURANT, Emanuel, Oil on wood, 40 x 56 cm
The painting depicts part of a ruined Late Medieval castle of a type common in the Netherlands. There are no signs of recent habitation, many Dutch castles were ruined in the late sixteenth century during the war with Spain. Other Dutch artists also painted picturesque fragments of medieval architecture in country settings, for example, Jan van Goyen, Roelof van Vries, and Klaes Molenaer.