The Cowherd

The Cowherd is a seminal example of the landscape genre, created by the French master Claude Lorrain (1600-1682) in 1636. This delicate print, an etching executed on ivory laid paper, reflects Lorrain’s evolving interest in pastoral themes and the classical idealization of nature. Although French by birth, the artist spent most of his professional life working in Rome, developing the influential style known as ideal landscape painting that dominated European art for two centuries. The piece features the titular cowherd amidst a serene, atmospheric vista, characteristic of the mid-seventeenth-century focus on balanced composition and diffused light.

While Lorrain is primarily famous for his large-scale oil paintings, his collection of surviving etchings provides crucial insight into his working method and his skill as a printmaker. Dating from 1636, this work demonstrates the precise lines achievable through the etching process, translating the expansive feeling of his oil compositions into a smaller, accessible format. The creation of such prints allowed Lorrain’s influential vision of the idealized landscape to circulate widely.

This particular impression of The Cowherd is held in the prestigious prints and drawings collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it serves as a key representation of French Baroque printmaking. As a foundational work from the 1630s, this image is frequently referenced in art historical studies and is often accessible in the public domain for scholarly research and appreciation.