Artwork
landscape with fighting bulls
landscape with fighting bulls is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Dirck van der Bergen. It dates from 1675 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts an Italianate landscape at sunset, featuring a herd of cattle in the foreground dominated by two fighting bulls.
The painting depicts an Italianate landscape at sunset, featuring a herd of cattle in the foreground dominated by two fighting bulls. In the background, a walled castle is visible within the scenery. This imagery aligns with the tradition of the Italianisanten, a group of Northern European artists who specialized in depicting idealized Italian landscapes, although the artist Dirck van der Bergen is not known to have visited Italy himself.
The work likely functions as a pendant piece to another painting by the same artist titled Landscape with Shepherd and Cattle, given their similar dimensions and provenance. The scene combines realistic animal observation with a romanticized southern setting, characteristic of the genre during the period the artist was active in Haarlem.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil paint on canvas, this 1675 work by Dirck van der Bergen depicts an Italianate landscape at sunset. The composition features a herd of cattle in the foreground, highlighted by two fighting bulls, set against a backdrop containing a walled castle. Stylistically, the painting aligns with the tradition of the Italianisanten, a group of Northern European artists who specialized in idealized southern scenery, despite the artist likely never visiting Italy.
The handling includes a signature reading 'D.V.D.Bergen.' located in the lower right corner. Measuring 37 by 48 centimeters, the work shares dimensions and provenance with a companion piece featuring a shepherd, suggesting it was created as a pendant.
History & Provenance
The painting Landscape with Fighting Bulls was created by Dirck van der Bergen in 1675. Executed in oil on canvas, the work is signed 'D.V.D.Bergen.' in the lower right corner. Art historical analysis suggests the piece was produced after the artist settled in Haarlem in 1660 and before 1690, the date of his last known signed work.
It is likely intended as a pendant to Landscape with Shepherd and Cattle, sharing similar dimensions and origins. The work entered the public collection when it was acquired by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 1815.
Landscape with Fighting Bulls is held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it is part of the museum's collection as well as the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands Art Collection, with the canvas stored at the depot of the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE). The work was acquired by the Rijksmuseum in 1815.
The painting is signed "D.V.D.Bergen." in the lower right and is considered a probable pendant of Landscape with Shepherd and Cattle, which shares similar dimensions and provenance. It was created after 1660, when Dirck van Bergen settled in Haarlem as a painter, and before 1690, the date of his last documented work.
Context
Landscape with Fighting Bulls is situated within the tradition of the Italianates, a group of Northern European artists who specialized in depicting idealized Italian landscapes. Although the work features characteristic elements such as a sunset setting, cattle, and a walled castle, the artist Dirck van der Bergen is not known to have traveled to Italy himself. Scholars suggest the painting was likely created as a pendant to another work, Landscape with Shepherd and Cattle, given their similar dimensions and provenance history.
The piece holds a specific place in Dutch art history as an example of this genre produced domestically rather than through direct observation abroad. Its acquisition by the Rijksmuseum in 1815 underscores its recognized value within the canon of North Netherlandish painting from the late seventeenth century.
Overview
‘Landscape with Fighting Bulls’ is an oil painting executed in 1675 by Dutch artist Dirck van der Bergen. The work is part of the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It presents a rural scene rendered in a calm, naturalistic manner, typical of mid‑seventeenth‑century Dutch landscape painting.
Artist & collection
