The country woman and the sumpter crossing a brook

Karel Dujardin (1622–1678) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and etcher of landscapes, cattle, genre scenes, portraits, and religious subjects. He was a son of the painter Guilliam Dujardin (b. 1597). Who taught Dujardin is unknown, possibly Nicolaes Berchem (1620–1683) or Paulus Potter (1625–1654), as the influence of both painters is visible in his work. Besides his Italian landscapes, Dujardin also painted portraits and historical scenes in a classicised style which are smooth, elegant and colourful.

While in the Netherlands, Dujardin lived in The Hague and Amsterdam. In 1675, he travelled to Italy, where his style changed completely; his figures were now smaller and the tone was darker. In Rome, Dujardin joined a society of Dutch artists called the Bentvueghels and was nicknamed 'Bokkebaard' (goatee beard). From Rome he travelled to Venice, where he died unexpectedly in 1678. Although he was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, he was laid to rest in the Catholic manner (wrapped in a white shroud) and was carried to his grave by his Dutch friends, painter Govert van der Leeuw (1645–1688) and Johannes Glauber (1646–1726).

Te Papa currently has 22 etchings by Dujardin in its collection, most of which were donated to the Colonial Museum by Bishop Ditlev Monrad in 1869. This one, however, is in the so-called King George IV album, acquired by the Dominion Museum, forerunner of Te Papa, in 1910. These prints usually depict different animals in Italianate rather than Dutch landscapes - before Dujardin went to Italy - but this was by no means unusual.

This landscape depicts an ass loaded with panniers - the 'sumpter' of the title - standing in a brook or small stream and drinking, seen in profile facing right. Standing nearby is a young woman wearing a long chemise which is loose at the front - a sensuous touch rare in Dujardin's prints - looking down solicitously at a leaping dog, the latter doubtless excited by the water. A ram is partially obscured by ass in front of him, while an escarpment with trees - much more Italian than Dutch - helps define the background.

Sources:

British Museum Collection online, https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1617736&partId=1&searchText=d ujardin+woman&page=1

Rijksmuseum, ‘Karel Dujardin’, https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio/artists/karel-dujardin

Dr Mark Stocker  Curator, Historical International Art   April 2019