Artwork
Chorus of Shepherds and Ergasto
Chorus of Shepherds and Ergasto is an ink drawing by the Baroque artist Johann Wilhelm Baur. It dates from 1640 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Chorus of Shepherds and Ergasto is a 1640 drawing by Johann Wilhelm Baur, executed in pen and brown ink with brown wash on laid paper. The work depicts a serene gathering of shepherds and a figure named Ergasto engaged in a musical ensemble.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing illustrates a scene from Giovanni Battista Guarini's pastoral tragicomedy, Il pastor fido. The tranquil atmosphere and collective musical activity suggest harmony and communal joy, reflecting the pastoral genre's emphasis on idyllic rural life.
Technique & Style
Baur employed sharp, lively pen lines to define the figures, arranged in a circular composition under trees. Fine lines create subtle shading, while targeted brown wash enhances depth and clarity, even where lines intersect.
History & Provenance
Created in 1640, the same year of Baur's death in Vienna, this work is part of his broader illustrative output, which also includes a series based on Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Artist & collection
Artist
Johann Wilhelm Baur, Joan Guiliam Bouwer, or Bauer (Strasbourg, 31 May 1607 - Vienna, 1 January 1640) was a German engraver, etcher and miniature painter. He is famous for a series of illustrations of Ovid's Metamorphoses.
