A Farrier and Peasants near Roman Ruins
Nicolaes Pieterszoon BerchemLate 1650s / early 1660s
Dulwich Picture Gallery
London, United Kingdom
"Nicolaes Berchem, son of the great still-life artist Pieter Claesz (c. 1597-1660), was both prolific and successful. His output varied and included history pieces, battle scenes and allegories, as well as the Dutch Italianate landscapes for which he is most famous. There is no documentary evidence of a stay in Italy, but it is generally accepted that he must have gone, almost certainly in the 1650s, and possibly again later.
This painting is typical of Berchem’s work. Colourful characters including a smith at work, a
gesturing peasant girl and a small herd of animals, are all gathered in the shadow of what at
first sight looks like a cliff-face, but is in fact an ancient ruin.
"
- Title: A Farrier and Peasants near Roman Ruins
- Creator Lifespan: 1620 - 1683
- Date: Late 1650s / early 1660s
- Physical Dimensions: w813 x h685 cm
- Type: Painting
- Medium: Oil
- null: Amsterdam provenance comes from HdG.Another picture, virtually identical, which cannot be DPG88:Richard Hart Davis; his sale, London, Coxe, 1 Jun. 1814, lot 17 (‘Berghem: Landscape, Cattle, and Figures. -- The time appears about Sun-set. A Female with blue Drapery on an Ass is arrived at a Farrier's Shop; the Mechanic is examining the Heel of the Animal, while another is in Conversation with the Rider. A Goat, Dog, and other Figures, fill the lower part of the Composition; and above is observed a Woman in domestic employment. Nothing can be more transparent and clear than the Colouring, and it is accomplished with his accustomed delicacy and freedom’. £136.10); Sir J Erskine; his sale, London, Christie's, 22 Mar. 1823, lot 33 (‘Berghem: A Landscape with a Halt of Peasants and loaded Mules, and a Farrier examining the foot of a Mule that is lame’. Bt Quarles Harris for £7.5).
- Work Nationality: Dutch
- Support: Canvas
- Provenance: ?Amsterdam, sale, 21 Aug. 1799, lot 15. Bt J. P. van der Schley for fl. 150; London, Sir Francis Bourgeois, 1811; Bourgeois Bequest, 1811.
- Inscriptions: Ber[...]f [formerly Berchem f]
- Further Information: Nicholas Pietersz. Berchem was a Dutch painter, draughtsman and etcher, who belonged to the second generation of the Italianates. He was one of the most famous and financially successful Dutch artists of the seventeenth century. He spelled his surname in various ways, which sometimes helps in the dating of his pictures. From the 1650s Berchem began producing panoramic views reflecting the influence of Italianate painters such as Jan Asselijn (c. 1615–52) and Jan Both. They are characterised by warm light, wandering shepherds, towering trees, and occasionally include identifiable landmarks such as the Temple of the Sibyl near Tivoli in Italy, as well as the ruins of the castles of Brederode and Croonenburgh in the Netherlands. This is a typical Berchem Italianate scene, datable to c. 1650–60. The composition is enlivened by patches of light, which give accents to the figures.
- Artist: Berchem, Nicolaes Pietersz
- Acquisition Method: Bourgeois, Sir Peter Francis (Bequest, 1811)
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