Shepherd and Shepherdesses with a Flock by a Mountain Stream c. 18th century

Curator: Here we have Cornelis Ploos van Amstel’s "Shepherd and Shepherdesses with a Flock by a Mountain Stream," housed right here at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s a pastoral scene, seemingly untouched by the concerns of industry. Editor: It's like stepping into a dream, isn't it? The light is so soft, and there's a hazy quality that makes the figures seem almost ethereal. You can almost hear the gentle bleating of the sheep and the murmur of the stream. Curator: Indeed. Ploos van Amstel was deeply involved with reproductive printmaking techniques, and works like this offer insights into the economics of art production and distribution in the 18th century. This wasn't necessarily about capturing reality, but constructing an idealized version of it. Editor: Perhaps that's why it feels so removed from the grit of daily life. More like a stage set than a snapshot. But maybe that escapism is what gives it its charm. Curator: Maybe so. For me, I am struck by how the artist makes use of the material and its availability, to produce a scene that speaks to both the social order and the material culture of its time. Editor: For me, it's about the quiet moments, like those figures sitting by the water's edge, seemingly lost in their own world. In all, there is a certain magic about it.