Artwork
Landscape with cattle herders
Landscape with cattle herders is an oil painting by Jan Hackaert. It dates from 1672 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
Executed in oil paint on canvas, the work measures 88.5 cm in height and 103 cm in width. The handling shows a smooth, evenly applied ground with careful glazing in the distant foliage and broader, blended scumbling in the foreground grasses, consistent with Dutch landscape practice of the 1670s. The composition balances repoussoir oaks on the left with a diagonal cattle path leading the eye into the middle ground, where herders and cattle occupy a valley framed by layered, atmospheric hills.
The palette is earthy and restrained, dominated by umbers and greens enlivened by touches of red and white in the cattle and drapery, while the sky is rendered with fine horizontal striations in the upper register.
History & Provenance
It entered the Dutch art market through Jacobus Salomon Hendrik van de Poll, who later consigned it to the Amsterdam collector Henric Muilman.
The painting was completed in 1672, as recorded in the artist’s dated inscription on the work.
It entered the Dutch art market through Jacobus Salomon Hendrik van de Poll, who later consigned it to the Amsterdam collector Henric Muilman. By the early nineteenth century the painting formed part of Muilman’s holdings and was inventoried as part of his collection.
Subsequently, the work was acquired by the Rijksmuseum, where it remains in the permanent collection.
Overview
Jan Hackaert’s 1672 oil painting, titled Landscape with Cattle Herders, presents a tranquil rural setting. A winding earthen track cuts through a forest of tall, leafy trees, while a modest herd of cows and three plainly dressed figures move along the path. A gentle river flows in the distance beneath a soft, hazy sky, suggesting a calm, early‑autumn atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The work foregrounds the relationship between humans, livestock, and the natural world, emphasizing the modest scale of the shepherds and their animals against the imposing forest. The subtle shift in leaf colour hints at the approach of autumn, evoking themes of seasonal change and the passage of time within a seemingly timeless countryside.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
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