Artwork
Country road with hunter and peasants
Country road with hunter and peasants is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Johannes Lingelbach. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1650 by Johannes Lingelbach, this oil on canvas presents a bustling rural thoroughfare. The composition gathers travelers, livestock and a modest dwelling under an open sky, offering a snapshot of everyday life in the mid‑seventeenth century. The work belongs to the Rijksmuseum’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The scene centers on a horse‑ridden figure guiding a white horse, while pedestrians accompany donkeys, dogs and sheep along the road. A small hut provides a place of rest for some figures, suggesting a moment of pause amid continual movement. The painting reflects the artist’s interest in genre scenes that document ordinary activities.
Technique & Style
Lingelbach employs a restrained palette of warm earth tones, allowing the landscape’s natural hues to dominate. Careful modelling of light and shadow gives volume to faces and animals, echoing the chiaroscuro approach popular among his contemporaries. The rendering of foliage and sky conveys a realistic atmosphere without overt dramatization.
History & Provenance
Lingelbach, a Dutch painter associated with the second generation of the Bamboccianti—a group of artists active in Rome who specialized in low‑life subjects—produced this work during his mature period. After changing hands over the centuries, the painting entered the Rijksmuseum, where it remains on public view.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Johannes (or Johann) Lingelbach (1622 – 3 November 1674) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, associated with the second generation of Bambocciate, a group of genre painters working in Rome from 1625–1700.
