Artwork
Landscape with a Farm

Landscape with a Farm is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Marten Ryckaert. It dates from 1627 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1627, *Landscape with a Farm* is an oil painting by Flemish artist Marten Ryckaert (1587–1631). Executed in the late Baroque period, the work presents a tranquil countryside tableau that now forms part of the State Hermitage Museum’s collection in St. Petersburg.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a modest village crossed by a stone bridge spanning a gentle stream. Figures attend to cattle and sheep near the water’s edge, while geese and other birds wheel overhead. Brick and timber houses with thatched roofs cluster beside a solitary, spreading tree, together suggesting a peaceful, everyday rural life.
Technique & Style
Ryckaert employs a softened, diffused light that bathes the scene in an afternoon glow, allowing shadows to merge subtly with illuminated areas. The brushwork is fine and controlled, typical of his small‑scale landscapes, and the palette reflects an Italianate influence, balancing warm earth tones with cool sky hues.
History & Provenance
Born and baptized in Antwerp, Ryckaert worked primarily in the Flemish tradition, producing imaginative yet detailed countryside views. After his death in 1631, the painting entered various private collections before being acquired by the State Hermitage Museum, where it remains on display as an example of early 17th‑century Flemish landscape painting.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Marten Ryckaert or Maerten Ryckaert (baptised 8 December 1587, Antwerp – 11 October 1631), was a Flemish landscape painter. He was known for his small, usually imaginary landscapes in an Italianate style.

















