A View of Delft after the Explosion of 1654, Egbert van der Poel (1654)
On 12 October 1654 – the date inscribed on the painting – one of the gunpowder stores in the city of Delft accidentally detonated, flattening a large part of the city. A local artist, Egbert van der Poel, was so fascinated by the event that he painted this scene at least 20 times. Judging from contemporary maps and buildings which still exist, the pictures appear to be a largely accurate view of the devastation.
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