Who painted A shepherd and washerwomen at a spring?

A shepherd and washerwomen at a spring was painted by Pieter van Laer in 1630.

Where can I see A shepherd and washerwomen at a spring?

A shepherd and washerwomen at a spring is held by Rijksmuseum.

What movement is A shepherd and washerwomen at a spring?

A shepherd and washerwomen at a spring is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Can I buy a print of A shepherd and washerwomen at a spring?

Museum-quality prints of A shepherd and washerwomen at a spring are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

A shepherd and washerwomen at a spring

Pieter van Laer , 1630

A shepherd and washerwomen at a spring is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Pieter van Laer. It dates from 1630 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The interaction between figures and the abundant water motif may carry connotations of purity and renewal, themes recurrent in van Laer's genre paintings.

The work depicts a rustic genre scene featuring a shepherd tending sheep beside two women engaged in washing linens at a natural spring. This subject reflects 17th-century Dutch fascination with everyday labor and pastoral tranquility, often symbolizing moral simplicity and the harmony of rural life. The interaction between figures and the abundant water motif may carry connotations of purity and renewal, themes recurrent in van Laer's genre paintings. The composition emphasizes narrative detail, capturing a fleeting moment of quiet activity within a lush, idealized landscape.

Technique & Style

The work is executed in oil paint on a copper support, a combination well suited to the smooth, enamel-like finish that the medium typically produces. Measuring 29 by 43 cm, the small-scale panel allowed the artist to work with fine, precise handling, lending the figures of the shepherd and washerwomen at the spring a tightly controlled, miniature-like definition. The genre scene is rendered in a polished, smoothly blended technique characteristic of Dutch and Flemish painters working in oil on copper during the early seventeenth century, with crisp contours and carefully modulated tonal transitions suited to the reflective ground.

The copper support provides a rigid, durable surface that has helped preserve the painting's detail and color, though no specific condition report is documented in the available sources.

History & Provenance

The painting was created in 1630, as indicated by the date recorded in both the internal documentation and the work’s Wikidata entry. It is painted on copper, a support associated with early 17th-century Dutch cabinet paintings. The work entered the collection of Gijsbert de Clercq, a noted Amsterdam art dealer and collector, whose holdings later passed to the Rijksmuseum, where the painting is currently held.

Overview

A shepherd and washerwomen at a spring is a copper painting created by Pieter van Laer, known as Il Bamboccio, around 1630. It is a representative work of the Dutch Golden Age and is now held in the Rijksmuseum collection.