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#446

The Jewish Cemetery

Ruisdael, Jacob van (1628/29-1682) | Painter

01:25

On a deserted, long-abandoned burial ground are sarcophagi bearing Hebrew inscriptions; pale twilight causes them to stand out against the dark background. Van Ruisdael had previously drawn the tombs of prominent members of the Jewish-Sephardic community of Amsterdam in the old Beth Haim cemetery in Ouderkerk, outside the city. The sombre mood of the landscape underlines the idea of decay and death, contrasting with the sunlight breaking through the clouds and the rainbow in the background, which are signs of hope.

Material & Technique
Oil on canvas
Museum
Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
Dating
c. 1655
Inventory number
Gal.-Nr. 1502
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