Artwork
Italian Landscape with Shepherds and Animals at a Fountain
Italian Landscape with Shepherds and Animals at a Fountain is an oil painting by the French Romanticist artist Jean-Louis de Marne. It dates from 1798 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition features shepherds tending to their flock near a fountain, accompanied by various animals including horses.
Created in 1795, this oil painting presents a landscape scene set in Italy. The composition features shepherds tending to their flock near a fountain, accompanied by various animals including horses. Trees frame the pastoral setting, establishing a serene rural atmosphere typical of the genre.
The work functions as a depiction of idealized country life, focusing on the harmonious relationship between humans, livestock, and the natural environment within an Italianate context.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, a medium confirmed by the source. It measures 52 cm in height and 66 cm in width, reflecting its scale within the landscape genre. The composition features a shepherd with animals near a fountain, incorporating motifs such as a horse and a tree that contribute to its pastoral character.
The painting’s formal qualities include careful handling of light and atmospheric depth, typical of late 18th‑century Dutch‑influenced landscape practice. Its condition appears stable, as indicated by its continued presence in museum collections.
History & Provenance
The work was created in 1795 by Jean-Louis de Marne.
Its earliest documented owner was Adriaan van der Hoop, whose collection it entered before 1854. By the mid-nineteenth century the painting was part of the Van der Hoop bequest, which formed the nucleus of the later municipal collections in Amsterdam. Upon the establishment of the Rijksmuseum in 1885, the painting was transferred to its holdings as part of the Adriaan van der Hoop collection, where it has remained.
The painting Italian Landscape with Shepherds and Animals at a Fountain is held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it is part of the Amsterdam Museum collection. The work originates from the collection of Adriaan van der Hoop, who previously owned the piece before its transfer to the current institution. While the artwork is physically located within the Rijksmuseum, it remains cataloged under the Adriaan van der Hoop collection designation.
The sources do not provide specific inventory numbers, accession dates, or a list of exhibitions for this work.
Context
Created in 1795 by Jean-Louis de Marne, Italian Landscape with Shepherds and Animals at a Fountain is a landscape painting that exemplifies the artist's engagement with pastoral themes during the late eighteenth century. The work depicts shepherds and animals gathered near a fountain, incorporating elements such as horses and trees within a canvas composition measuring 52 cm in height and 66 cm in width. Currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the painting originates from the Adriaan van der Hoop bequest.
While the sources identify the piece as a landscape genre work, they do not provide specific details regarding its critical reception, scholarly analysis, or its precise positioning within the broader trajectory of art history beyond its classification and current location.
Overview
Jean-Louis de Marne’s 1798 oil painting, Italian Landscape with Shepherds and Animals at a Fountain, presents a tranquil rural tableau. The composition centers on a stone fountain surrounded by figures and livestock, set against a softly clouded sky. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Louis de Marne (1752–1829) was an artist, born in Brussels metropolitan area.
