Building the New Harbour at Enkhuizen

Hendrik Willem Mesdag (1831 - 1915), 1885-1886

oil on canvas, 90.5 cm x 274 cm
The Mesdag Collection, The Hague

Mesdag became known primarily for his depictions of the life of fishermen and of ships at sea. Quite exceptionally he chose a topical subject for his Building the New Harbour Works in Enkhuizen. Here he painted the construction of the rail link between Enkhuizen and Amsterdam and the associated harbour works for the ferry to Stavoren.

Mesdag painted the expansive landscape from a slightly elevated vantage point. He used a large, oblong canvas. He had also done this five years earlier for his even larger Panorama of Scheveningen, the study for which is on view in The Mesdag Collection.

Object number

hwm0228

Credits

The Mesdag Collection, The Hague

Dimensions

90.5cm x 274cm, 124cm x 308cm, 9cm