Italian landscape

Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem created the painting Italian landscape in 1666 on a copper support measuring 14 cm by 17 cm. The work is signed "Berchem" in the lower right corner. Its provenance begins with the collector Claude Tolozan, from whom Gerrit van der Pot of Rotterdam acquired the piece for 585 francs during an auction held at Paillet in Paris between February 23 and 26, 1801. Subsequently, the Rijksmuseum purchased the painting from the estate sale of Gerrit van der Pot in Rotterdam on June 6, 1808, for 345 guilders.

Although the subject depicts an Italianate scene with shepherds and cattle, historical evidence for Berchem's actual residence in Italy between 1651 and 1655 remains absent, despite his reputation as a prolific Italianist.

The painting is held by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, accessioned as inventory number SK-C-1145.

It entered the museum’s holdings on 6 June 1808, purchased for 345 Dutch guilders at the post-mortem sale of Gerrit van der Pot in Rotterdam. It had previously formed part of the Rotterdam collector Van der Pot’s collection, which he acquired before 1801 by purchase at the Claude Tolozan sale in Paris (23–26 February 1801), where it was bought for 585 francs.

Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem's Italian landscape (1666) exemplifies the work of a leading Italianisant in the Northern Netherlands, despite the lack of definitive proof regarding his actual travels to Italy between 1651 and 1655. Executed in oil on a small copper plate, the painting depicts a mountainous scene with shepherds, cattle, and architectural elements inspired by the Italian peninsula. Historically, the work has been praised by scholars as one of the finest and most vigorous examples of the master's oeuvre.

Its creation on copper reflects a specific technical choice for detailed, small-format landscapes popular among Dutch artists emulating Italian scenery. The painting currently resides in the Rijksmuseum, having entered the collection via the 1808 estate auction of Gerrit van der Pot, who had previously acquired it from the Parisian sale of Claude Tolozan in 1801.

Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem’s Italian Landscape (1666) is a small‑scale copper painting that depicts a tranquil countryside scene bathed in the light of a setting sun. A distant mountain range rises behind a sky mottled with clouds, while the foreground is populated by trees, shrubs and a few indistinct figures. The composition balances atmospheric warmth with a cool, distant horizon, characteristic of the artist’s mature work.