Herder met kudde schapen 1637 - 1691

This is an anonymous print of a shepherd and his flock, held in the Rijksmuseum. The cultural fascination with rural life and the classical world come together here. A fashion for classical forms began during the Renaissance, the period of renewed interest in Greek and Roman culture. This image creates meaning through its visual codes, such as the ruined architecture on the left of the composition. The classical world was seen as an idealised past, and so the depiction of ruins can reference both the real remains of the Roman Empire as well as a metaphor for the passage of time. The growth of art institutions like the Rijksmuseum led to a boom in printmaking, as printed images were more affordable. The cultural elite had more access to images that could be used to demonstrate their sophisticated appreciation of classical forms. By studying prints like this we can better understand the values that shaped social and cultural life in early modern Europe. We can look at the classical texts that shaped the cultural tastes of the elite and better understand the social function of art.