The Herd at the Watering Place

"The Herd at the Watering Place" is a seminal print created by Claude Lorrain French, 1600-1682, in 1635. This exceptional example of French printmaking is executed using etching on ivory laid paper, showcasing the artist’s early engagement with the medium. Although active during the height of the Baroque period while based primarily in Rome, Lorrain pioneered and codified the highly influential genre of the idealized classical landscape. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Lorrain treated prints not merely as preparatory studies or reproductions of his finished paintings, but as distinct works of art, affording the etching process careful precision.

The subject of this work focuses on a peaceful, pastoral scene, characteristic of the 17th-century taste for the idyllic. Livestock are shown gathering at a reflective watering hole, framed by dense foliage and rugged terrain, which directs the viewer’s attention toward a vanishing point bathed in light. Lorrain’s masterful handling of line and tonal variation in this piece emphasizes subtle atmospheric transitions, creating the sense of deep recession and luminous clarity that later defined the “Claudian sun.” Dating to 1635, this print provides valuable insight into how the artist developed the signature compositional structures that would make him one of the most revered landscape artists in history.

Lorrain’s work had a profound and lasting influence across subsequent centuries of European art, establishing him as a key figure in the French tradition and providing the blueprint for the picturesque movement. Today, The Herd at the Watering Place resides in the distinguished collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Given its classification as a 17th-century print, this beautiful work often falls within the scope of public domain collections, ensuring its enduring study and appreciation globally.