A pastoral landscape with a shepherd and shepherdess beside their livestock in an Arcadian landscape

Lot n° 38
97,7cmx134,9cm

The present painting only became widely known when it was published by Professor Roethlisberger in 1972. In his article forParagone he refers to it in the following terms: 'in excellent condition ... The painting stands out as autograph for the unmistakable quality of its execution, the unity and depth of its spatial effect that the copies never reached.' A drawing of it by Claude is in the Uffizi (no. 1,371 E, reproduced in Roethlisberger, Claude Lorrain: The Drawings, 1968, vol. II, fig. 119; the drawing is discussed in vol. I, no. 119; see our fig. 1). The drawing has the same characteristics as those in the Liber Veritatis and probably, like those, was made after the painting was finished, as a record and not as a sketch. Before being aware of the painting Roethlisberger had dated the Uffizi drawing to circa 1637. He has since suggested that the painting can be dated to 1635-1637. While we do not know who commissioned the present landscape, this was the period when Claude's work had begun to bring him important patrons, including the future Pope Clement IX, the French ambassador, Cardinal Carlo de' Medici, Pope Urban VIII, and perhaps most prestigious of all, King Philip IV of Spain. We know that Claude's house at this time was frequented by throngs of visitors. These included other landscape painters and his reputation in this field was such that artists began faking his work. According to Filippo Baldinucci's Notizie, this was the reason why the artist started to keep a visual record of his paintings before they left his studio. As appears to be the case with regard to the present work, his method was to make drawn copies of his landscapes, most of which were kept in a large book called by him libro di verità (the 'book of truth' or Liber veritatis, as it is today known by its Latin title). It may be suggested that the present work dates from before the beginning of the Liber Veritatis in 1636. 

Until the present painting came to light in 1972, the composition was also known through two old copies: in the Galleria Nazionale, Rome (canvas, 84 x 109 cm., no. 957); and formerly in the collection of Duke Ludwig of Bavaria (size and present whereabouts unknown). Roethlisberger had formerly believed these pictures to have been broad imitations of Claude'sLandscape with the Rest on the Flight into Egypt (Marcel Roethlisberger, Claude Lorrain, The Paintings, Volume I: Critical Catalogue, 1979, p. 501, no. 232; illustrated in Volume 2: The Illustrations, figs. 412 and 413), but we now know that they were derived from this original. The verso of the Uffizi drawing shows two figure sketches relating to a Flight into Egypt and a link may still be suggested to the Doria Rest on the Flight - which may well date to before the beginning of the Liber Veritatis(see fig. 2).

Morning and evening are to be preferred by the landscape painter as they are the most poetic times of day