A shepherd with two horses and a peasant woman on horseback with a child in her arms to left, a large tree in center, a shepherd with a herd of animals descending a hill to right, mountains in the background, from 'Six large views, four of Rome and two of the Roman countryside' (Six grandes vues, dont quatre de Rome et deux de la Campagne romaine) 1656

Stefano della Bella created this print, ‘A shepherd with two horses and a peasant woman’ as part of a series called ‘Six large views...’ Della Bella, working in the 17th century, was deeply influenced by the tumultuous times he lived in. The etchings are seemingly bucolic but were created against a backdrop of political and social unrest in Europe. The Thirty Years' War, with its devastating impact on the population, no doubt influenced the artist's perception of rural life. The image presents a serene, idealized vision of the Roman countryside. However, this serenity is complicated by the figures populating the landscape. We see shepherds, peasants, and animals together, suggesting a communal way of life but also revealing the economic inequalities of the time. The woman carrying a child on horseback could reference the role of women in rural society, while also reflecting the high rates of child mortality, common at the time. Della Bella asks us to reflect on the relationship between the idealized and the real, between the beauty of the landscape and the lives of those who inhabit it.