This finely balanced early 17th-century oil painting, attributed to the workshop of Dutch artist Dirk-Raphaelsz Camphuysen (1586-1627), depicts a broad river dividing two settled banks, animated by small groups of figures.
In the foreground, a well-dressed couple pause on a path beneath mature trees, accompanied by a child and a dog. The woman gestures gently across the water, while her companion takes her hand - their attention directed toward the crossing ahead. Nearby, a boatman ferries a small group across the river, his vessel moving slowly through calm, reflective water.
The landscape is carefully articulated. On the right bank, mature trees are interspersed with areas of bare or broken branches, coupled with a truncated stump at the centre foreground. While on the left, a fortified structure rises above clustered buildings, its surroundings marked by mixed growth.
Beyond the river, the land opens into softer light and fuller foliage, with peasants at work and a distant town visible on the horizon. The sky is partially overcast, its shifting tones reinforcing the sense of transition rather than resolution.
The handling of the landscape suggests multiple hands at work. The overall conception - the placement of figures, the measured geometry of the river, path, and horizon - reflects an intelligence associated with Camphuysen’s direct hand, while the varied execution of trees, water, and distant architecture points to workshop participation. The result is a composition that feels thoughtfully constructed rather than episodic.
Beyond its surface calm, the painting invites contemplation. The river functions as more than a physical boundary, marking a moment of passage and choice. The pointing gesture does not command or warn; it suggests. The figures have not yet crossed, and the future remains undecided between decay and renewal.
Much like the figures themselves, the viewer is left standing ponderously at the water’s edge.
Held in a 19th-century ebonised moulded frame.
Medium: Oil on panel
Overall size: 32” x 26” / 82cm x 66cm
Year of creation: c. 1620
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Historic repairs, including a tidy repair to a previous split. Areas of fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear.
Our reference: BRV2258
