Cottage on a hill

A similar enchantment by nature as in the prints made by Nicolaes Berchem or Karel Dujardin is apparent in etchings by Jacob van Ruisdael, who, for his part, sought inspiration in Dutch landscapes. In his expressive compositions dominated by craggy, spreading trees, the artist celebrates the nobility and variety of nature, as compared to human fate. In this print, tiny figures are shown moving in the background and the human dwellings are hardly discernible in the densely overgrown vegetation.