View of the Westerkerk, Amsterdam

The Westerkerk was not yet 30 years old when this panel was painted, probably in 1660. Opened in 1631 between the Prinsengracht and the Keizersgracht, it served Amsterdam's new western canal district, and for more than 200 years this picture hung inside it, in the meeting room of its wardens. Van der Heyden set down single cobblestones, the lettering on the notices pasted to the mooring posts and the slight wobble of light on the canal. He also arranged the view, opening a convenient gap in the trees so the building stands clear. Look along the water for his one slip. The posts and a doorway are reflected, while the small figures, among them two little girls and a dog, cast no reflection at all. Figures were usually painted in last, and here he seems to have forgotten the water.