Home / Artworks / Low Waterfall in a Wooded Landscape with a Dead Beech Tree
Low Waterfall in a Wooded Landscape with a Dead Beech Tree
Jacob van Ruisdael, c. 1660–70
Jacob van Ruisdael painted this wooded landscape around 1660 to 1670. A huge silvery trunk of a dead tree juts out from a dune in the foreground and leads the eye across a waterfall to a sunlit field in the distance, where travellers and a dog cross a sandy path. A ruined building, partly hidden by trees, is turned gold by the sun.
The Cleveland Museum of Art notes that in Ruisdael's landscapes, dead trees, waterfalls and ruins were ways of showing the passage of time. He also gave equal attention to the cloud-filled sky, and its patterns of light and shadow reveal the movement of the wind.
It is large, about 99 by 131 centimetres without its frame, and it rewards a slow look: there are small figures and details tucked away in every part.
From the museum record
| Artist | Jacob van Ruisdael |
|---|---|
| Date | c. 1660–70 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Size | Unframed: 99.2 x 131 cm |
| Museum | The Cleveland Museum of Art |
| Credit line | Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund |
| Accession number | 1967.63 |
| Licence | Open Access (CC0) |
Source: The Cleveland Museum of Art collection record. Facts such as dates, sizes and credit lines come from that record. The write-up above was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the museum record and standard references. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
