A cylindrical windmill rises high above the riverbank at Wijk bij Duurstede, its sails sharply angled and catching the light against a vast, cloud-filled sky. The windmill stands on a sturdy base, surrounded by low trees and buildings, including a cottage to its right and the red-tiled roof of a larger structure just beyond. To the right of the windmill, three women in white caps and long dresses walk together along a winding path, their figures small against the monumental structure.

In the right foreground, two large millstones rest near the edge of the bank, partly obscured by reeds and grasses that grow among the wooden pilings lining the shore. The river, broad and calm, stretches across the left half of the scene, where two sailing boats glide over the water, their white sails catching the daylight. Farther back, two tall masts rise behind a bend in the river, while the distant horizon is softened by a line of greenery.

The sky dominates the upper half of the canvas, filled with dense, rolling clouds that shift from dark grey to luminous white, creating dramatic contrasts of light and shadow across the landscape. Brushwork is precise and detailed, especially in the depiction of the windmill’s structure, the texture of the clouds, and the rippling surface of the water. The colour palette is dominated by cool blues and greys in the sky and water, balanced by the warm earth tones of the windmill, roofs, and vegetation. The Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede was painted by Jacob van Ruisdael around 1670, as part of his celebrated body of landscape paintings.

The painting’s remarkable attention to detail has been noted by art historians, with the structure of the windmill’s sails and the movement of the river’s waves rendered with technical accuracy. The Rijksmuseum notes that the painting was acquired through the A. van der Hoop Bequest from the City of Amsterdam.