Lot 2059 Dα

A shepherd and shepherdess rest by a drinking trough at the foot of a ruin overgrown with trees and plants. To the right, the view opens up onto a Mediterranean mountain landscape beneath a magnificent sky filled with luminous clouds. The deep afternoon sun casts long shadows. Such depictions of Arcadian scenes made Berchem one of the leading painters of Italianate landscapes. He began to develop this type of panoramic view with a distinctly southern brightness and richness of colour in the 1650s, inspired by the works of Jan Asselijn. It is not known for certain whether or not the artist ever travelled to Italy. He may have visited the country with his close friend and collaborator, the painter Jan Baptist Weenix, in 1642 and it is also possible that he made the tour in the early 1650s. Whether or not Berchem ever travelled to Italy in person, the brilliant light of this painting attests to the artist's attachment to the clear, golden light of the Roman Campagna.
Berchem's fame continued well into the 18th century, especially in France, where he was one of the most sought-after artists of the Golden Age, and his works found their way into many important and princely collections. In a 1727 publication, the French connoisseur Dézallier d'Argenville described his ideal "Flemish" collection, which included works by Rembrandt, Gerrit Dou, Frans van Mieris I and Berchem (see G. Seelig, "Die Rezeption von Berchem's Gemälde im Frankreich des 18. Jahrhunderts“, in: Nicolaes Berchem. Im Licht Italiens, exhibition catalogue, Ghent, 2006, p. 61).