Landscape with Shepherd Sleeping under Tree n.d.

Jan Lievens made this pen and brown ink drawing, Landscape with Shepherd Sleeping under Tree. This idyllic scene invites us to consider the public role of art in the Dutch Golden Age. Pastoral landscapes gained popularity, reflecting a society that valued both its connection to nature and a sense of national identity rooted in the land. Made in the Netherlands, the detailed rendering of the foliage and the relaxed posture of the shepherd evoke a sense of peace and harmony. In the context of a society that was economically booming, the image could also hint at the value of leisure and contemplation, in contrast to the demands of a mercantile culture. What is the politics of the imagery of simple rural life at this time? Does it express something about the relationship between the land and the new mercantile institutions of the Netherlands? To further understand the art of Lievens, a historian would delve into the cultural and economic history of the time, perhaps looking at trade records, or popular literature. This reveals art’s meaning as something contingent on social and institutional context.