Artwork
Chorus of Shepherds and Priests: Montano, Mirtillo
Chorus of Shepherds and Priests: Montano, Mirtillo 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
Created in 1640, this drawing by Johann Wilhelm Baur portrays a gathering of shepherds and priests drawn from Giovanni Battista Guarini’s pastoral tragicomedy Il pastor fido. Executed with pen and brown ink complemented by a brown wash on laid paper, the work exemplifies Baur’s skill in fine draughtsmanship.
Subject & Meaning
The composition illustrates a moment from Il pastor fido, a widely performed seventeenth‑century play that blends rustic innocence with courtly intrigue. By uniting shepherds and clergy, Baur highlights the play’s thematic contrast between pastoral simplicity and religious authority, inviting viewers to contemplate the interplay of secular and sacred roles.
Technique & Style
Baur employs delicate pen lines that build up through cross‑hatching, creating tonal depth and texture. The brown wash, applied over the ink, unifies the scene with a warm, muted palette while preserving the linear precision characteristic of his miniature work and his broader series of illustrations for Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
History & Provenance
Johann Wilhelm Baur, a German engraver and miniature painter born in Strasbourg, produced this drawing shortly before his death in Vienna in 1640. The work remains a testament to his late career, linking his reputation for book illustration with his capacity for standalone draughtsmanship.
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.
