The herder's red jacket is the focal point, drawing the eye in and breaking up the muted tones of the rest of the painting.

Across the river, the looming Medieval architecture is bathed in a warm golden light from the seemingly setting sun.

It was the stronghold of Gaius Julius Civilis, an ancient hero who led the Batavians to revolt against the Romans during the 1st century.

Later on, Cuyp's work has a profound impact on 19th-century landscape painters, including J. M. W.

[2] Because of the way that Cuyp painted his subjects bathed in light, it is hypothesized that he worked in Utrecht, which took many of its artistic cues from Baroque Italy.