The Double Cascade

A delicate tiered waterfall flows through rocks and bushes, pooling into a reservoir that extends off the foreground. Despite the title of Anthonie Waterloo’s print, the double cascade is hardly the focus of the composition: narrow trees grow from the rocks, casting the water into shadow and instead emphasizing the sheer rock face above. In the distance, little houses stand on a cliff surrounded by forested mountains, illuminated in the glow of the setting sun. Although Waterloo was himself Dutch, the idealized landscape he etched is reminiscent of the Italian, rather than Dutch, countryside. His choice of scenery may have been inspired by his travels through Europe in the mid-1600s, which took him to Germany and Poland, and perhaps as far as Italy.

Since no records of any formal artistic training exist, Waterloo may have taught himself how to make paintings and prints. He was unable to sell many of his own works, however, and turned to art dealership to support himself. This work exposed him to the art of leading landscapists of the time, including Jacob van Ruisdael (1628–1682) and Simon de Vlieger (1601–1653). Many of Waterloo’s own etching techniques appear to draw from Ruisdael’s landscape prints, such as The Great Beech Tree, with Two Men and a Dog (c. 1650–1655). Both artists utilize a looped scrawl of the etching needle to indicate the density of foliage on their similarly structured trees.

Unfortunately, this impression has some water damage, as seen in the blurry stains in the bottom left corner of the print. There is also a watermark in the bottom right corner which would symbolize a specific paper maker and batch if it were clear enough to be identified. The paper does display the characteristic chainlines and adjacent discoloration of seventeenth-century laid paper, which helps determine its time of production, especially without a date etched into the plate.

Written by Danelle Akanova, edited by Simone Edgar Holmes

Bibliography

ArtsMia. “The Great Beech Tree, with Two Men and a Dog, c. 1650-1655.” Accessed July 13, 2020. https://collections.artsmia.org/art/55067/the-great-beech-tree-with-two-men-and-a-dog-jacob-van-ruisdael.

Broos, B. P. J. “Waterlo [Waterloo], Antoni.” Grove Art Online. 2003; Accessed 13 Jul. 2020. https://www-oxfordartonline-com.ezproxy.middlebury.edu/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7000090818.

Stocker, Mark. “Six landscapes. The double cascade.”Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. May 2019. https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/43561.