Landschap met herder en herderin 1743 - 1800

Pieter Louw made this print, "Landscape with Shepherd and Shepherdess," sometime in the 1700s. The Dutch Republic was then a world leader in finance and trade, but its art looked back to an idealized vision of rural life. Here, the image creates meaning through familiar visual codes. We see shepherds in a calm landscape. But this wasn't a scene from everyday life. Instead, it's a cultural reference to classical pastoral poetry, which was a popular theme among the Dutch elite. The print is interesting as a social document. It reflects how wealthy Dutch people saw themselves, or wanted to be seen. This image serves as a reminder that the meaning of art is always contingent on social context. To understand it better, we can look at period literature, fashion, and social history, all of which are available in the Rijksmuseum's library.