A river landscape with a windmill and gentlefolk in a rowing boat and on a jetty in the foreground

A River Landscape with a Windmill from 1642 by Aelbert Cuyp is an early work showing the artist developing his characteristic approach to Dutch river scenes. The windmill and rowing boat provide compositional interest within the broad horizontal landscape. Cuyp worked primarily in Dordrecht throughout his career, and his paintings of the Dutch countryside—cattle in golden light, river views, and horsemen against luminous skies—established him as one of the most technically accomplished landscape painters of the Dutch Golden Age.

The early work shows Cuyp developing his warm tonality, the windmill and water rendered with careful observation while the atmospheric light begins to show the golden quality of his mature style.