![Jan van der Heyden - The Herengracht in Amsterdam [c.1668]](http://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8795/17482129255_e5017577f8_o.jpg)
This small painting depicts the Herengracht in Amsterdam, one of the artist’s favourite subjects. A native of Gorkum in southern Holland, Jan van der Heyden was celebrated in Amsterdam for his detailed architectural views. The Herengracht had by this time become one of the most fashionable districts in Amsterdam, as the ornate gables of the patrician houses in the background indicate. Most of the architecture, however, is concealed by the high trees lining the canal, thereby directing the viewer’s attention to the canal itself and the shimmering reflections of the façades in the water. Also depicted is the bustling activity of the canal workers and porters, who are busy unloading goods from the boats. The entire picture is covered with a golden late-summer light that lends the scene the enchanting quality of a still-life. Unlike earlier works, to which van der Heyden had artists such as Adriaen van der Velde add the figures, this painting is entirely of his own hand. Not least because of its appealing harmony, The Herengracht in Amsterdam is justly regarded as one of the artist’s masterpieces.
[Musée du Louvre, Paris - Oil on wood, 36 x 44 cm]