Title Pierrot (Oudezijds Achterburgwal)

Year 1889

Artist James Abott McNeill Whistler

Technique Ink on paper/Dry-point and etching

Dimensions 22,9 x 16,1 cm





The back of a house reflected in the water of an Amsterdam canal. There are two people in the doorway on the waterfront: a man leaning against a post (a dreamy figure, perhaps the Pierrot of the title?) and a woman leaning over the water. The building and the water are rendered with rough areas of hatching which leave large areas of black. A vague reflection of the two figures is visible in the water. James McNeill Whistler made this print in 1889, when he spent two months in the Netherlands. In fact, the artist visited this country several times. He found the rivers and canals inspiring and was especially enthralled by Amsterdam. In a series of prints he recorded his favourite parts of the city: the picturesque canals of the slum areas with their delapidated houses and rows of washing lines.

Ambrogio Spinola


The Spanish army in the Southern Netherlands was under the command of the Italian Ambrogio Spinola. As a general this opponent of Stadholder Maurice was widely respected. Spinola travelled to The Hague for the negotiations that led to the Twelve-Year Truce. It was during this period that the artist Michiel van Miereveld of Delft painted his portrait, probably commissioned by Maurice for his gallery of paintings of famous heroes. Here Spinola, almost an exact contemporary of Maurice, is shown aged 39.

Title Ambrogio Spinola (1569-1630), Commander of the Spanish Troops in the Southern Netherlands

Year 1609

Artist Michiel Jansz. van Miereveld

Technique Oil on canvas

Dimensions 119 x 87 cm

Walking around enjoying the city