Artwork
Landscape with cows and young herdsman
Landscape with cows and young herdsman is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Aelbert Cuyp. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a landscape painting, the composition centers on the interaction between the livestock and the human figure, specifically identified as a young herdsman.
The work depicts a pastoral scene featuring cattle and a herder within a landscape setting. As a landscape painting, the composition centers on the interaction between the livestock and the human figure, specifically identified as a young herdsman. The imagery draws upon the artist's earlier study titled Two Cows with a Shepherd and Shepherdess, adapting these rural elements into a broader scenic view.
The subject matter emphasizes the tranquil relationship between the herdsman and the cattle, characteristic of Dutch Golden Age landscape traditions.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1650, this landscape by Aelbert Cuyp is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 101.5 cm in height and 136 cm in width. Stylistically, the composition focuses on a pastoral scene featuring cattle and a herder, characteristic of the artist's approach to the landscape genre during this period.
History & Provenance
Aelbert Cuyp created the oil painting Landscape with cows and young herdsman in 1650. The work, which depicts cattle and a herder, was executed on canvas and is based on an earlier composition titled Two Cows with a Shepherd and Shepherdess. The painting currently resides in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
Landscape with cows and young herdsman is held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, as recorded in the work's Wikidata entry.
The painting entered the museum's collection as part of its holdings of Dutch Golden Age landscapes, and it remains in the Rijksmuseum's permanent collection. No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available sources.
No exhibition history is documented in the sources reviewed.
Overview
Created circa 1650, this oil on canvas by Aelbert Cuyp presents a tranquil countryside scene typical of the Dutch Golden Age. The composition centers on a young herdsman seated on a rock, his dark hat and simple garments contrasting with two cows lying in the foreground. Beyond them, gentle hills and sparse trees rise under a sky marked by patches of light, conveying a calm, pastoral atmosphere.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Aelbert Jacobszoon Cuyp or Cuijp (Dutch pronunciation: ; 20 October 1620 – 15 November 1691) was one of the leading Dutch Golden Age painters, producing mainly landscapes.
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