Landscape with windmill and carts

The power of wind was harnessed by tens of thousands of mills across the landscape of early modern Europe to meet an ever-growing demand for flour. Although Dutch landscape painters often depicted these iconic buildings with their enormous wooden sails set against dramatic skyscapes, as shown here, most European mills were powered by water, as seen in the frontispiece to Richard Bradley’s Country Housewife (displayed nearby).

Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568 –1625)

Brussels, Belgium, c.1611

Oil on copper

Dr R.B. Meyer Bequest (PD.186-1975)