Gezicht op Leiden uit het noordoosten - Warmond

The small river De Zijl flows from the Kagerplassen towards Leiden and is filled with pleasure boats on fine summer days. In 1650, landscape painter Jan van Goyen must have stood somewhere along the river or on a boat here and recorded this peaceful scene under a moody Dutch cloudy sky. In the distance, the silhouette of the city of Leiden, in mostly brown and yellow tones, with the Hooglandse Church and the Pieterskerk both clearly visible, but the painter has turned the churches slightly to show them from their best side. You can admire this painting at De Lakenhal museum in Leiden. According to the museum, ‘the subdued tones and virtuoso smooth technique with fine detailing’ are typical of Van Goyen's later work.
The current view is obstructed by buildings, and later trees.

Jan van Goyen (Leiden 1596 - 1656) was one of the best-known Dutch landscape painters. Working in the Golden (17th) Century, he mainly painted landscapes and rivers as well as seascapes and cityscapes, both in good and bad weather. He made trips along the River Rhine, making sketches on the spot, which he later elaborated in his studio. The son of a shoemaker from Leiden, he was apprenticed to several painters from the age of 10, including landscape painter Esaias van de Velde in Haarlem. Van Goyen left for The Hague in 1632 and lived with his son-in-law Jan Steen and his family for several years from 1649. In total, he produced more than a thousand (!) paintings and 800 drawings. Famous works include View of The Hague (1651) and View of the Haarlemmermeer, 1646.