Landschap met fluitspelende herder onder boom en zes stuks vee Possibly 1774

"Landschap met fluitspelende herder onder boom en zes stuks vee" (Landscape with a Shepherd Playing the Flute Under a Tree and Six Cattle), a mezzotint by Richard Earlom, was likely printed in 1774. This pastoral scene features a shepherd resting beneath a tree, playing his flute while six cattle graze nearby. The detailed depiction of the landscape, including the distant city and river, showcases Earlom's mastery of the mezzotint technique, which creates soft, tonal effects through the use of a roughened printing plate. The artwork, now housed in the Rijksmuseum, reflects a fascination with idyllic rural life that was popular in 18th-century Europe.