Mountainous Landscape with Castles and Waterfalls c. 1606

Roelandt Savery rendered this "Mountainous Landscape with Castles and Waterfalls" with pen and brown ink with watercolor over graphite. Savery's work captures the cultural fascination with the natural world during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, a period marked by exploration and scientific discovery. Born in Flanders and later working in Prague for Emperor Rudolf II, Savery was exposed to a cosmopolitan environment that valued both artistic skill and scientific inquiry. This drawing, with its dramatic cliffs and fanciful architecture, invites us to consider how landscapes are not just physical spaces, but also cultural and emotional ones. The presence of castles atop the mountains suggests themes of power, control, and perhaps even a romanticized view of the past. Savery doesn't just depict a landscape; he constructs a world where nature and human ambition coexist, inviting viewers to reflect on their relationship.