This 17th-century painting by Jacobus Storck entitled ‘Dutch River Landscape with Castle’ went up for sale in 2019. It had previously been identified as a view of Amsterdam or Düsseldorf, but research and prints of Breda Castle from the same period revealed so many similarities between them and this painting that there can be no doubt about what it actually depicts. Though the position of the buildings is not entirely correct, they are shown to their best advantage here. The conclusion is therefore that this is a view of Breda.
The tower of the Grote Kerk church is recognisable, and the striking castle is unmistakable, though this is a somewhat romantic depiction, not entirely true to life. The research on this painting revealed six other versions, one of which is currently in the Wallace Collection in London. Stedelijk Museum Breda was able to acquire this painting with the help of the Friends of the museum.
View of Breda, Jacobus Storck, c. 1664-1686, oil on canvas | Stedelijk Museum Breda; on loan from the Friends of Stedelijk Museum Breda