Knotty Old Tree in the Dunes with a Fence Gm-37633401

Claes van Beresteyn (Dutch, 1629–1684) This drawing depicts a swampy, overgrown dune with gnarled oak tree that dominates the entire sheet. Surrounding the base of the oak is a broken fence and thick bramble that creeps across the immediate foreground. Drawn in dark brown ink with a lightness and dryness of touch that is perfectly fitted to the teeming spikiness of the bramble and the oak's foliage, Knotty Old Tree in the Dunes with a Fence features a claustrophobically dense vegetation. The tree's majestic presence is enhanced by the soaring birds, who are dwarfed by its monumental scale.