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Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

River Landscape with a Waterfall (recto)

1704/1714

Joachim Franz Beich

Associated Names

Joachim Franz Beich

Artist, German, 1665 - 1748

The image shows a turbulent stream with rushing water flowing towards the viewer. The scene is surrounded by tall rocks and dense foliage that obscure the horizon. Trees with branches extending over the water and leaves scattered across the top of the image. The brushstrokes are rapid and expressive, giving a loose, sketch-like quality to the scene. The color palette is earthy with muted greens and browns contrasting with the whites and grays of the water.

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Artwork overview

Medium

pen and black ink with gray and red wash, heightened with white gouache on blue laid paper
Credit Line

Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, Purchased as the Gift of Alexander M. and Judith W. Laughlin
Dimensions

sheet: 34.7 x 25 cm (13 11/16 x 9 13/16 in.)
Accession Number

2007.111.50.a

The image shows a waterfall flowing down a rocky landscape, surrounded by ancient ruins and overgrowth. The horizon is hidden by dense vegetation and tall structures on the sides. The brushstrokes are fluid, especially in the foliage and water. The color palette consists of muted earth tones, with shades of brown and green. In the background, faint ruins are seen blending into the scenery. — A Waterfall with Ruins (verso)

Joachim Franz Beich

1704

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Adolphe Stein, London (by 1975). Wolfgang Ratjen, Munich; purchased 2007 by NGA.

Associated Names

Stiftung Ratjen

Exhibition History

1975

Master Drawings, Presented by Adolphe Stein, H. Terry-Engell Gallery, London, 1975, no. 6, fig. 6.

2010

German Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, 1580 - 1900, NGA, 2010, 68-71, no. 10 (entry by Peter Prange).

Inscriptions

at bottom right on small label, in brown ink: Joach. Fran. Beich fec.; at bottom left in graphite: 635

Wikidata ID

Q64581812

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