Artwork
Gebirgslandschaft mit Vieh und Hirten
Gebirgslandschaft mit Vieh und Hirten is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Daniel Hien. It dates from 1749 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1749 by Daniel Hien, this oil painting titled "Gebirgslandschaft mit Vieh und Hirten" is part of the collection of the Alte Pinakothek. It presents a tranquil Alpine scene where pastoral activity unfolds beneath a distant mountain range, rendered with careful attention to natural light and atmospheric conditions.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a group of shepherds and their cattle gathered near a solitary tree, suggesting a moment of rest during daily herding. The surrounding hills and river convey a harmonious relationship between humans, livestock, and the landscape, reflecting eighteenth‑century ideals of rural simplicity and the pastoral idyll.
Technique & Style
Hien employs a nuanced palette of earth tones, using chiaroscuro to model the foliage, bark, and fabric folds. Fine brushwork captures the texture of tree bark and the subtle play of light on the river’s surface, while broader strokes suggest the distant mountains and cloud‑filled sky, situating the work within the period’s emerging naturalistic landscape tradition.
History & Provenance
Since its completion, the painting has remained in German collections, eventually entering the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings. Documentation records its attribution to Hien and its dating to 1749, providing a clear provenance that links the work to the museum’s broader assemblage of 18th‑century European art.
Context
The work aligns with the growing popularity of landscape painting in the mid‑1700s, when artists increasingly depicted everyday rural life alongside idealized natural settings. Hien’s focus on shepherds and cattle echoes contemporary genre scenes that celebrated agrarian labor as a moral and aesthetic subject.
Artist & collection
