Views of the Rhine Valley. Plate 1: Travelllers on a road above a river valley

Jan van Aken (1614-61) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker about whom little is known. He was born and died in Amsterdam. His reproductive etchings are, however, of very high quality and Te Papa currently owns three from the series after Herman II Saftleven, Views of the Rhine Valley. This impression, of plate 1, depicts travellers on a road above a river valley; in the right foreground are four figures, one of them on horseback, while others are walking with mules along the lower path on the left. In the receding distance there are two castles on the banks of a river which winds through this spectacular, mountainous landscape.

See: British Museum Collection online, https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1622342&partId=1&searchTe xt=van+aken+saftleven&page=1

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator, Historical International Art    March 2019