Anthonie Jansz. van der Croos
Dutch, about 1606 ‑ 1662/1663
View of Leiden, 1649
Oil on panel
25 7/8 × 37 11/16 in. (65.8 × 95.8 cm.)
Bequest of Jane Morton Norton  1989.13

“Greetings from Leiden!”
Leiden, the second largest city of the Dutch Republic during the 1600s, was an important center for the manufacture of cloth. It was also home to the University of
Leiden, the oldest university in Holland, founded in 1575 to commemorate the Dutch liberation of the city from the Spanish siege of 1573 – 1574. In this painting, two large Gothic-style churches, the Overlandse Kerk at the center and the Pieterskerk at the right, dominate the skyline. The spire of the town hall appears in between. On the left is the dome of the Marekerk, erected between 1639 and 1649.