River Landscape with Riders

River Landscape with Riders
Year	c.1653–1657

River Landscape with Riders is an oil on canvas painting by the Dutch artist Aelbert Cuyp, created c. 1653-1657, now in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which bought it in 1965 from the Edmond de Rothschild collection in Exbury, Hampshire. The painting is signed at the bottom center 'A. Cuijp'.

Description

The painting depicts two an idyllic scene, where Dutch officers pause by a river to let their horses drink. One of them is watering his horse. Some ducks are also seen in the river. A herdsmen watches, a little further on, while guarding his cows, who rest peacefully, like his dog. Beyond the scene, there are typical Dutch houses, with some country people, with a wagon, and a mountain extends, on the right side. In the background, there is the view of a city, with a visible tower. The cloudy blue sky occupies large part of the upper canvas, extending to the left.

The mountainous landscape is based on those seen along the River Rhine between Nijmegen and Kleve. Cuyp made various landscape drawings in this area in the early 1650s, which he further elaborated in his studio in Dordrecht.