A Road leading into a Wood

This landscape was, for a long time, thought to be by a follower of Jacob van Ruisdael, but it is now considered to be van Ruisdael’s work. The figures were added later; again, these were once thought to be by another artist but are now considered to be by van Ruisdael.The identification was probably made difficult by the layers of old varnish that obscure the work, but it’s still possible to see the artist’s hand in the lively clouds and the detail of the trees, probably oaks, in the foreground. One particularly fine specimen stands outlined against the sky where the winding sandy road branches. The tree beyond, its leaves turning autumnal shades of orange and gold, is less easy to identify.