Jan van Goyen painted between 1633 and 1655 over thirty views of Dordrecht, situated at the junction of the Maas, Waal and Rhine. The present painting is his only close-up view of the town from the north-east. Dominating the scene are the town's defensive bastions and the Grote Kerk with its massive, truncated tower and four-faced clock. A stiff breeze has whipped up the Maas into choppy peaks. Passengers in the foreground ferry, hunkered down against the wind, are all too familiar with this uncomfortable form of transport.
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