River view with sentry post

River view with sentry post depicts a low riverbank foreground with a small fortress-like tower on the left, figures along the rampart, and boats on the water with distant sailboats on the horizon. The sky dominates the scene with soft, billowy clouds and a pale, diffuse light, while the land is rendered in warm ochre and brown tones that contrast with cooler blues and creams in the clouds. The work exemplifies Jan van Goyen’s 17th-century Dutch landscape style, featuring careful tonal gradation, atmospheric perspective, and a restrained, naturalistic handling of light.