The 17th-century landscapist Jacob van Ruisdael enjoyed painting views of Haarlem from the dunes. Schelfhout was inspired by Ruisdael’s work for this panorama of the dunes near Haarlem, with the ruins of Brederode Castle in the foreground. Not only did he paint in a 17th-century manner, this subject matter, the countryside around Haarlem, was also considered in the Romantic era to be ultra-Dutch and ‘historical’.