Shepherd with Goats (Les chèvres) c. 1630 - 1633

This etching, "Shepherd with Goats (Les chèvres)", is a work of Claude Lorrain, one of the most celebrated landscape painters of the 17th century. Created between 1630 and 1633, the print captures the idyllic beauty of a pastoral scene. The central figures, a shepherd with his goats, are dwarfed by the vast, expansive landscape. The composition is balanced by the towering trees in the foreground, which frame a distant vista of rolling hills and a river winding through the countryside. Lorrain's masterful use of light and shade, characteristic of his "ideal landscapes", creates a sense of serenity and tranquility. The atmospheric perspective and detailed depiction of nature evoke a sense of grandeur and timeless beauty.