Signed and dated 1689, just two years before Hondius' death, this spectacular mountain landscape with a forge and a blast furnace is one of the artist's last paintings. In the right foreground, a falconer in red on a white horse leads us along the path into a rugged mountain setting crossed by a rushing stream. The composition is built along a sweeping diagonal that divides the scene into two sections: on the left, the metallurgical activity of the furnace and forge is set beneath the rocks, while on the right, the eye wanders into the distance past a chapel, a town, a river, and mountains.

Every detail is the landscape is rendered with the utmost care, from the trees – some already showing autumnal foliage – to the numerous figures and animals scattered throughout the composition. The variety of colors and Hondius’ bold approach are especially evident in the treatment of the rocks, where he used a palette knife rather than a brush to achieve a realistic texture. The artist reached a peak of technical skill in this pre-industrial landscape, weaving together fire, water, earth, and air, like a modern allegory of the Four Elements.