Farm Animals in the Shade of a Tree, with a Boy and a Sleeping Herdswoman

The sun catches the face of a sheep lying in the shade of a tree. Light filters down through the leaves on to its thick curly fleece, painted in exquisite detail by Karel Dujardin.

Dujardin has added a quirkiness to his figures, giving them real humanity. The herdswoman has found the tedious business of spinning too much in the heat of the day and has dropped her distaff and spindle. The little boy makes the dog sit up and beg but, finger to his lips, has a thought for the sleeping woman.

The scene is one of pure imagination, adapted from sketches Dujardin made in the countryside surrounding Rome. He gathered motifs he could use in landscapes he made after his return to the Netherlands. There, he had a successful career as a painter of the idyllic Italianate landscapes that were so popular with Dutch collectors.

Text: © The National Gallery, London

Painting photographed in its frame by Google Arts & Culture, 2023.