Lot 5 Dα

Domenico Brandi came from a family of artists in Naples and was taught to paint by his father Gaetano Brandi, who was already well known as an animal and landscape painter. Domenico carried out numerous commissions for the Viceroy of Naples and specialised in the depiction of shepherds and their animals in idyllic landscapes. In the Baroque era, pastoral motifs such as this were not only popular in paintings but also in poetry and music. This work, dated to 1733, was painted three years prior to the artist's death and depicts a pleasant composition with a shepherdess and a shepherd on horseback engaged in lively conversation surrounded by their animals and accompanied by a further shepherd who turns around to listen to their discussion.