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Room A Screen 26
A man is beating one of the pack mules in the middle distance. The picture reflects Both's familiarity with the Italian landscape, of which he had first-hand experience from his stay in Rome from 1635 until 1641. It is dated on grounds of style to around 1645, a few years after his return from Italy.
It is first recorded with certainty in an engraving of the composition by William Byrne and J. Schuman of 1790.
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The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN