Generally regarded as the greatest Dutch landscape painter, Ruisdael’s works seem intended to have an emotional effect on the viewer. Here a windmill is set starkly against ominous rolling clouds. The dark silhouette of a man walking with a dog leads the viewer’s eye to a brighter patch of land with houses beyond; an uplifting journey with the path curving from darkness into light. Acquired by George IV in 1810 No. 11