![Exhibition banner - painting of a man seated by a tree](https://cmsadmin.rct.uk/sites/default/files/lead_image_half_height/PP_QGE_exhib_half.jpg)
LUDOLF DE JONGH (ROTTERDAM 1616-HILLEGERSBERG 1679)
A formal Garden: three Ladies surprised by a Gentleman
c.1676RCIN 400596
This unidentified formal garden is characteristic of the many gardens created for new residences near Amsterdam, and particularly along the River Vecht, during the 1670s. The intricate broderie parterre (ornamental beds laid out in flowing, curvilinear designs) contrasts with the severe rectilinear layout of the garden. The receding hedge, the rectangular parterre, and even the orange tree set against the pyramidal tree behind, create a network of geometric shapes through which De Jongh suggests the overarching importance of mathematics in Dutch garden design.