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Original fileWatermolen in een landschap
About This Work
The scene centers on a complex timber-framed watermill featuring two active waterwheels and a tall, gabled tower. A laborer is shown carrying a sack across a wooden walkway in the foreground, while another figure maneuvers a small boat through the churning water. In the background, a lifting crane and a distant view of a town suggest a bustling center of early modern industry.
Created by the imperial engraver to Rudolf II, this work exemplifies the Prague court's interest in the intersection of nature and human mechanical ingenuity. It reflects the burgeoning field of natural philosophy, where the harnessing of elemental forces like water was a subject of both practical and philosophical inquiry.
Inscriptions(Latin)
R.S. Inuent: Cum Priuil:
Translation
R.S. inventor: With privilege:
Connected Texts
Roelant Savery
The inscription 'R.S. Inuent' identifies Savery as the artist who designed the original composition that Sadeler engraved.
Rudolf II
Aegidius Sadeler served as the court engraver for Rudolf II in Prague, where this meticulous landscape style was highly prized.
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
height 122 mm x width 156 mm
landscape
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.