Artwork
Shepherd with a Sack Driving a Flock
Shepherd with a Sack Driving a Flock is a gouache print by the Baroque artist Francesco Londonio. It dates from 1763 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Shepherd with a Sack Driving a Flock is a 1763 print by Francesco Londonio, an Italian artist known for his pastoral scenes. The work is an etching on blue laid paper, heightened with white gouache.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a shepherd guiding a flock of sheep and goats, conveying a sense of rustic life. The scene features a shepherd with a stick and sack, surrounded by animals in a natural setting with trees, bushes, and rocky terrain.
Technique & Style
The etching technique involves scratching lines into a metal plate to create the image. Londonio enhanced the print with white gouache highlights on blue paper, creating visual contrast. This style reflects Londonio's training under artists like Benigno Bossi and his focus on genre themes.
History & Provenance
Londonio created the print in 1763, during the late-Baroque or Rococo period. He was active in Milan, where he studied under Ferdinando Porta and Giovanni Battista Sassi, and traveled to Rome and Naples, influencing his work.
Context
Londonio's pastoral scenes, like Shepherd with a Sack Driving a Flock, were favored by wealthy patrons in Northern Italy. His work reflects the regional taste for genre themes and rural subjects.
Artist & collection
Artist
Francesco Londonio (1723–1783) was an Italian painter, engraver, and scenographer, active mainly in his native Milan in a late-Baroque or Rococo style.
Shepherd with Donkey, Sheep and Goat
Boy on a Donkey Driving a Flock
Woman, Shepherd Boys, and Sheep near an Arch
Peasant Man with a Sack and Two Shepherdesses
Shepherd Pointing Out the Direction to a Shepherdess
Sleeping Peasant and Standing Spinner
A Shepherd Scolding His Dog for Letting His Sheep Run Away
Two Reclining Sheep and One Standing Sheep
Standing Shepherd