The Burning City
Dateca. 1654
Label TextOn October 12, 1654, in the Dutch city of Delft, a building storing 90,000 pounds of gunpowder exploded. The explosion and subsequent fire killed more than a hundred people and wounded thousands. Every building in the city was damaged, and many were completely razed. One artist, Egbert Lievenz. van der Poel, painted at least twelve depictions of the disastrous fire and its aftermath, often setting the scene at night for maximum dramatic impact. Illuminated only by the raging blaze, citizens urgently try to put out the flames while other people and livestock flee the scene.
Object number47.160
Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection
Dimensions16 7/8 x 23 7/8 in. (42.9 x 60.6 cm)
MediumOil on panel
Willem Claesz. Heda
1636
Object number: 2022.20
log in
