In the 1640s Salomon van Ruysdael started painting scenes dominated by water and sailing ships which can be regarded as marines.5 Stechow made a selection of almost 40 works of this kind, only 16 of which are dated.6 The earliest is from 1642,7 and since the last is from 1663,8 it can be assumed that Van Ruysdael produced this type until the end of his life. His seascapes follow the same evolution as his landscapes, from monochromes at first to increasingly colourful views in the 1650s.9 There is always a bank or part of the shoreline in Van Ruysdael’s marines, but this particular painting is exceptional in that the coast plays a very marginal role. It is only recognizable as such from the church tower in the left background, and the fact that it is not tucked away behind the dunes shows that this is not a stretch of sea but a broad river or a lake. This is confirmed by the calmness of the waves and the types of inland vessel: smalschip and wijdschip.10 The pole on the left, which may mark an eel-trap, also identifies this as shallow water. The dark band in the foreground is typical of Van Ruysdael, and especially of his marines. It heightens the lighting of the elements in the middle ground, creating a greater sense of depth, which is enhanced here by the clouds moving away towards the horizon. According to Stechow the panel is dated 1643 and not 1645, as earlier stated.11 However, the last two digits are no longer legible. The monochrome manner that characterized Van Ruysdael’s work in the first half of the 1640s fully justifies placing this picture in that period. Richard Harmanni, 2023 See Key to abbreviations, Rijksmuseum painting catalogues and Acknowledgements