Pastoral Scene with a Shepherdess Milking a Goat  1670

One of the most prolific Dutch landscape painters, Nicolas Pietersz. Berchem executed scenes of the Italian [i]campagna[/i] (countryside) for cosmopolitan collectors who appreciated foreign views. Against the muddy palette used for the livestock, Berchem highlighted the shepherdess’s skirt with a vibrant blue, a color that attracts the eye of the viewer and of the young sh...