The Mariaplaats with the Mariakerk in Utrecht

Here, Saenredam has painted an accurate representation of the mediaeval Mariakerk in Utrecht. It was already in ruins in the seventeenth century and was later demolished. Saenredam had a preference for such old buildings, which he documented in drawings with great precision.

On the edge of the awning, you can read that he completed this painting on 20 November 1659. However, he based it on a drawing he had made on site 23 years earlier, in the summertime.