The Great Beech Tree, with Two Men and a Dog

Realizing the growing appeal foreign landscapes had for collectors, the famous landscape painter Jacob van Ruisdael set out for the rugged German border country around 1650 in search of inspiration. This etching, one of only thirteen he completed, grew out of that trip. Full of personality, the exaggerated tree clinging tenaciously to the bank shows itself to be a survivor, as well as a symbol of transience amid the relentless cycle of growth and decay. Like the pair of dwarfed travelers, we are meant to contemplate life's impermanence and the heroic power of untamed nature.