Herdersmeisje zittend achter een liggend rund 1750 - 1809

David Alphonse de Sandoz-Rollin created this drawing of a herder girl behind a resting cow. The image resonates with the 18th-century fascination with the pastoral, a romanticized view of rural life that became a popular theme in art and literature. Made in a period of significant social change, the drawing reflects a nostalgic longing for a simpler, pre-industrial existence. It’s worth considering how de Sandoz-Rollin, as an artist, was implicated in the culture of collecting and display. The image invites us to reflect on social class, as this kind of artwork often catered to wealthy patrons who enjoyed idealizations of rural labor from a safe distance. By researching the economic structures of the time, we can understand the complex relationship between art and society and the power dynamics that shaped artistic production and consumption.