This scene shows a group of riders watering horses in the canal near the city gate, which served as a main port of entrance to eastern Utrecht. Unlike many other Dutch cities, which were predominantly occupied by Protestants, Utrecht remained about 40 percent Catholic through the first half of the seventeenth century. Saftleven was one of Holland’s most well-known artists in his lifetime, coming from a family of artists including his father and older brother Cornelis. Throughout his career, he frequently documented his adopted city of Utrecht in drawings and prints.
