A Hunting Party near the Hofvijver in The Hague, seen from the Plaats

A hunting party is passing through the Gevangenpoort (Prison Gate) alongside the Hofvijver pond in The Hague. These men with their servants, dogs and falcons are members of the Dutch aristocracy. Rain puddles still glisten on the ground, but the sun has now broken through. The sunlight falls on the white horse and the buildings of the Binnenhof. And – in the distance – on the Mauritshuis.

Gerrit Berckheyde specialised in city views and mainly worked in Haarlem and Amsterdam. But he also made a few paintings of The Hague – to make this clear here he added a stork, the city’s emblem, to the depiction.