Cows, sheep, goats and herders resting in a pastoral landscape

Described by his biographer Arnold Houbraken as a child prodigy, Adriaen van de Velde was the son of marine painter Willem van de Velde I, and brother of Willem II. Adriaen, however, did not focus his output on maritime painting, instead looking to the landscapes of the vernacular Dutch countryside. Initially trained by Jan Wijnants, the artist’s early works were significantly influenced by Haarlem masters like Paulus Potter.

By 1657, van de Velde had relocated to Amsterdam, where he set up a workshop and remained until his death. He established himself as one of the foremost landscapists in the Netherlands, producing an extensive and varied body of paintings, drawings and prints, comprising Italianate views with herdsmen and cattle, beaches, dunes, forests, winter scenes, portraits in landscapes and historical pictures. Painted during the artist’s maturity, the present painting demonstrates his aptitude for scenes of pastoral tranquility, warmly hued by soft sunlight falling through shifting clouds.