The Ferryboat

1657 · The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

landscape

Onlookers laugh as a ferryboat worker splashes into the water after a donkey. This commotion is set against a serene landscape, punctuated by the stern gentleman on the shore and the placid cow beside him. Before becoming a painter, Pynacker was a merchant, and it was on a trip to Italy that he first encountered the golden sunlight that would later infuse his paintings.

Loading map…

About the Artist

Adam Pynacker

1620 – 1673

Dutch landscape painter, active mainly in Delft and in Amsterdam. He was in Italy for three years (before 1649) and he was one of the outstanding Dutch exponents of Italianate landscapes. His style resembles that of Jan Both and Jan Asselyn, but his mature work often has a distinctive and attractive silvery tonality.

View all works →