The Mill

Rembrandt van Rijn completed this brooding landscape between 1645 and 1648, depicting a windmill silhouetted against a dramatic evening sky. The last rays of sunlight illuminate clouds while the mill stands in dark relief on a promontory above water. Small figures, including a woman washing linen, occupy the foreground.

Attribution of this work has been debated, though recent scholarship has restored it to Rembrandt's hand. The painting deeply influenced later artists, including J.M.W. Turner, who admired its atmospheric power. It passed through the famous Orleans Collection before arriving at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.