Landscape with Cottages and a Hay Barn,

1641

Produced between 1640 and 1652, Rembrandt’s atmospheric land­scape etchings were based on sketches that he made during walks in the flat countryside near Amsterdam. Many of these feature modest farm buildings. In this early example, Rembrandt inserts the thatched cottage and its adjoining wagon shed into an imaginary composite vista that includes a distant view of Amsterdam on the left and a nearer view of a local manor house known as "Kostverloren" on the right. While the humble structure dominates the scene, details revealing a human presence—children fishing, a mother watching from the open door, and a figure walking with a dog—quietly emerge from the densely etched foreground.