The Cowherd

Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée)

1636 · Etching; third state of six (Mannocci) · Drawings and Prints

The Cowherd is one of Claude’s most admired prints. Wielding the etching needle with great delicacy, he created lush, bucolic scene in a small format. The variety of nature can be felt in the dense band of trees on the opposite bank and the grasses and foliage in the foreground. The resting cowherd is silhouetted against a sunlit vista visible beyond the bend in the river.

Artist

Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée)

Date

1636

Medium

Etching; third state of six (Mannocci)

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1937