NICOLAES BERCHEM (HAARLEM 1620-AMSTERDAM 1683)
Italian Landscape with Figures and Animals: a Village on a Mountain Plateau
Signed and dated 1655RCIN 404818
This small jewel-like evocation of a hot Italian hillside derives from the work of Cornelis van Poelenburgh (nos 28 and 29), but with a more sophisticated handling of light, using minimal transitions of colour and tone to create a hazy atmosphere. Berchem’s panorama has an impressive openness and a sense of adventure, as the horseman points to the far horizon.
Acquired by George IV in 1814
No. 32