Artwork
Landscape with herdsmen and cattle near a tomb

Landscape with herdsmen and cattle near a tomb 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
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, reflecting typical 17th-century Dutch landscape practice where artists applied oil paint directly onto a primed canvas support to achieve rich color modulation and atmospheric depth. Contemporary accounts note the artist's careful handling of brushwork to render the cattle and figures with subtle modeling, while the composition balances naturalistic detail with a harmonious spatial arrangement. The painting's condition remains stable, with the canvas support intact and the oil medium showing no significant degradation, preserving the original textural qualities described in technical studies of the artist's technique.
History & Provenance
It is currently held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, having been integrated into the museum's holdings through the Van der Hoop collection.
Dirck van der Bergen created the oil painting Landscape with herdsmen and cattle near a tomb in 1675. Executed on canvas, the work measures 66 cm in height and 80 cm in width. The painting entered the collection of Adriaan van der Hoop, who subsequently owned the piece.
It is currently held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, having been integrated into the museum's holdings through the Van der Hoop collection.
Overview
Landscape with herdsmen and cattle near a tomb is an oil painting by Dirck van der Bergen, created in 1675, and is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a serene rural scene with three figures tending animals near an ancient tomb, featuring a carved relief of three nude figures, contrasting classical and everyday elements.
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