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Lot Essay
Nicolaes Berchem was a key figure among the second generation of Dutch Italianate painters and produced a large number of paintings, drawings, and prints depicting a diverse array of subjects. Within this large oeuvre, he was particularly renowned for his idealized scenes of country life, such as the present work. In this painting, a shepherdess tends her goats while a smiling shepherd stands nearby, resting against a donkey. Nearby, an older man sheers a sheep. For this rustic scene, Berchem employed a bright palette of reds, blues, and yellows evocative of the work of his fellow Dutch Italianate Jan Asselijn. Golden light reminiscent of Italy infuses the composition, while the falling-down structures and broken trees evoke a timeless pastoral existence removed from urban concerns. Such works found great popularity in the Netherlands in the middle of the seventeenth century.
Born in Haarlem, Berchem allegedly had many prominent teachers, including his father Pieter Claesz. as well as Jan van Goyen, and Claes Moeyaert. His biographer Arnold Houbraken attested that Berchem went to Italy twice, although these trips cannot be confirmed. A visit from 1651-1653 seems likely, however, given his decision to draw up a will in 1649 as well as a noticeable change in palette that occurred in this period (L. Harwood, et al., Inspired by Italy: Dutch landscape painting 1600-1700, London, 2002, p. 131). Etchings similar to the present work, such as The Cow Drinking by Nicolaes Visscher after Berchem (F.W.H. Hollstein, Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings, and woodcuts, ca. 1450-1700, 1949-2010, I, p.249), prompted Berchem's imagery to reach a wider audience and also helped secure his reputation among later artists, particularly in eighteenth-century France.
Born in Haarlem, Berchem allegedly had many prominent teachers, including his father Pieter Claesz. as well as Jan van Goyen, and Claes Moeyaert. His biographer Arnold Houbraken attested that Berchem went to Italy twice, although these trips cannot be confirmed. A visit from 1651-1653 seems likely, however, given his decision to draw up a will in 1649 as well as a noticeable change in palette that occurred in this period (L. Harwood, et al., Inspired by Italy: Dutch landscape painting 1600-1700, London, 2002, p. 131). Etchings similar to the present work, such as The Cow Drinking by Nicolaes Visscher after Berchem (F.W.H. Hollstein, Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings, and woodcuts, ca. 1450-1700, 1949-2010, I, p.249), prompted Berchem's imagery to reach a wider audience and also helped secure his reputation among later artists, particularly in eighteenth-century France.