View on the Bakenessergracht with the De Passer en de Valk brewery
View on the Bakenessergracht with the De Passer en de Valk brewery
View on the Bakenessergracht with the De Passer en de Valk brewery
By Gerrit Adriaensz Berckheyde
View on the Bakenessergracht with the De Passer en de Valk brewery
View on the Bakenessergracht with the De Passer en de Valk brewery
View on the Bakenessergracht with the De Passer en de Valk brewery
With this beautifully balanced view of the Bakenessergracht, the young Berckheyde demonstrates his exceptional skills. Using his sense of light, form and rhythm, the painter creates great contrasts in his composition. While, on the sunny side of the canal, an ordinary maid silently dips her mop in the water, the shaded side is alive with activity. Beer barrels from the brewery are being loaded onto a boat, while the brewer gives the last instructions for transport. Haarlem was known for its many breweries, and that makes this seemingly casual glimpse of the city’s early modern industry extra appealing. What is remarkable is Berckheyde’s choice to place the brewer and his brewery in the shade and to have the light hit the ordinary servant girl on the right side.