Dirck van den Bergen, 'Two Calves, a Sheep and a Dun Horse by a Ruin', probably about 1665

Dirck van den Bergen was a pupil of the landscape and animal painter, Adriaen van de Velde. Although an apprenticeship usually meant that a young painter would work in the manner of the master for a while, most eventually broke away from their master’s example. This wasn't the case with van den Bergen: throughout his career he remained entirely faithful to van de Velde’s example.

This painting, sadly darkened through age, is a case in point. A calf and sheep lie in the shade. A sturdy young bull faces us, the pattern of its hide and the little fringe of hair between its horns catching the last rays of the sun. Behind them, almost invisible, is a dun horse and a rocky formation – perhaps the ruins of the title. To one side there’s a person, chin in hand and deep in thought, completing a picture of peaceful rural charm.

All the elements in this picture are based on pictorial inventions first introduced by van de Velde. Van den Bergen’s paintings are therefore sometimes confused with van de Velde’s, but when looked at closely it’s clear that they lack the refinement of the master’s paintings.