Abraham Begeijn, 'Peasants with Cattle by a Ruin', probably about 1665-90
About the work
Overview
The sky is moody but the scene is one of pastoral tranquillity. A golden light picks out the flanks of the animals which rest peacefully in the foreground and the figure of the woman who chats to the shepherd. This was a fashionable atmospheric effect, characteristic of Italianate landscape painting, which had recently been introduced to Holland by Dutch painters who had visited Rome and whose work was proving popular with art buyers in northern Europe. The mountains and the ruins in the background also evoke classical ideas of Italy and an idyllic rural life.
The monogram on the end of the stone block at the right is false. It is intended to be that of Nicolaes Berchem, but this painting is much closer in style to the Italianate landscapes of Abraham Cornelisz. Begeijn (or Bega) who was born in Leiden and worked in Italy, Amsterdam, London, The Hague and Berlin.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Peasants with Cattle by a Ruin
- Artist
- Abraham Begeijn
- Artist dates
- active from 1655; died 1697
- Date made
- probably about 1665-90
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 54.3 × 66 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed by Richard Frankum, 1861
- Inventory number
- NG78
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised and expanded by Christopher Brown, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School: 1600–1900’, London 1991; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1907C. Hofstede de Groot, Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, 10 vols, London 1907
-
1954E. Schaar, 'Berchem und Begeijn', Oud Holland, LXIX/4, 1954, pp. 241-5
-
1991Maclaren, Neil, revised by Christopher Brown, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 1600-1900, 2nd edn (revised and expanded), 2 vols, London 1991
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.