A Busy River Scene with Dutch Vessels and a Ferry, Circle of Jan Brueghel, the Elder from the old master collection

This small panel gives a detailed account of a busy river scene. The village, among the trees on the left bank of the river, appears to be a hub of inland water travel. A rowing boat has just arrived and is discharging its passengers and goods onto the simple quay in the bottom left corner. A man on the boat hands a small child up to a maidservant standing on the quay. An affluently dressed couple have disembarked and they turn back to face the river which may indicate that they are the parents of the child. Two ferries, each carrying people and animals, have just left the quay to meet up with more vessels midstream. In the background another settlement is visible on the right bank. The calm water stretches along the steep diagonal of the river towards the horizon which is dotted with sailing boats that contrast with the dark sky. On the left, above the village, the cloud cover opens up dramatically to illuminate the church with its central spire as well as the timber-framed and red-brick buildings beneath. Architectural features, local to the architecture of the Low-Countries, such as stepped gables are clearly recognizable. The costumes of the figures depicted, in this scene of peace and tranquility, suggest a degree of social variety.

The painting, which may be a pair to another artwork in the collection, 'A Landscape with a Village on the Bank of a River' (BHC0712), is assumed to have been painted by a follower of the Flemish artist Jan Brueghel the Elder. Jan Brueghel