Ferryboat

landscape

Victors has painted here a typical scene of rural life in a riverside village. The ferryboat carries a peasant and his cattle, so that the huge bulk of a cow stands uneasily in such a small and lightweight craft. The indifferent attitude of the peasant, who leans on the cow, sheep surrounding his feet, indicates that this trip is an everyday necessity.

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About the Artist

Jan Victors

1619 – 1676

Dutch painter, one of Rembrandt 's lesser known pupils, who joined Rembrandt's studio around 1635. He was far from being a genius and his life was a hard one. He tried to make a living by giving nurcing assistance to families stricken by the plague, and he died during a voyage to the East Indies where he was hoping to retrieve his fortunes. His style, compared with that of his contemporaries, was coarse, vulgar and declamatory. He based his genre paintings on stories from the Bible, and he also painted humorous conversation pieces.

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