Artwork

Liber Veritatis: No. 39, A Landscape with Herdsman Playing a Bagpipe and Goats Browsing

Liber Veritatis: No. 39, A Landscape with Herdsman Playing a Bagpipe and Goats Browsing is a print by the Romanticist artist Richard Earlom. It dates from 1774 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

This print, numbered 39 in Richard Earlom’s Liber Veritatis series, reproduces a landscape originally painted by Claude Lorrain. Created in 1774, it is a mezzotint that captures a tranquil rural scene with precise tonal gradations. The work resides in The Cleveland Museum of Art as part of a larger collection documenting Claude’s compositions, compiled to preserve his artistic legacy.

Subject & Meaning

The scene depicts a solitary herdsman seated on the right, playing a bagpipe while goats graze nearby. A stone bridge and dense trees frame the background, suggesting a timeless, undisturbed countryside. The absence of human activity beyond the herdsman emphasizes solitude and harmony with nature, reflecting classical ideals of pastoral peace rather than narrative drama.

Technique & Style

Earlom employed mezzotint to render subtle shifts in light and shadow, achieving a soft, atmospheric quality. Warm earth tones and dappled sunlight filter through the foliage, creating depth without sharp outlines. The technique mimics the luminous effects of Claude’s oil sketches, translating painterly nuance into print with remarkable fidelity to the original composition.

History & Provenance

The Liber Veritatis was compiled by Claude Lorrain between 1635 and 1682 as a personal record of his paintings. Earlom’s series, commissioned in the 1770s, reproduced these works in mezzotint for British collectors. This particular print derives from Claude’s original drawing, now lost, and entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection through documented acquisitions in the 20th century.

Context

Earlom’s project emerged during a period of renewed interest in classical landscape in Britain. The Liber Veritatis prints served both as artistic references and status objects for collectors. While Romanticism later emphasized emotional landscapes, this work reflects an earlier tradition rooted in order, balance, and idealized nature, aligned with 17th-century French-Italian conventions.

Legacy

Earlom’s mezzotints preserved Claude’s compositions for generations, influencing how 18th- and 19th-century artists and patrons perceived classical landscape. The Liber Veritatis remains a critical resource for scholars studying Claude’s oeuvre. This print, like others in the series, continues to inform understanding of printmaking’s role in disseminating artistic ideals across Europe.