Artwork
Shepherdess and Shepherd with Sheep and Goats
Shepherdess and Shepherd with Sheep and Goats is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Simon van der Does. It dates from 1711 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Simon van der Does’ oil painting ‘Shepherdess and Shepherd with Sheep and Goats’, executed in 1711, is part of the Mauritshuis collection. The work presents a pastoral scene in which a young woman and a man attend a small herd of sheep and goats, set against a gently rolling landscape that includes trees and a distant waterway.
Subject & Meaning
The central figures—a shepherdess in a red dress with a white collar and a shepherd in a white shirt beneath a brown vest—are engaged in the routine of animal husbandry. The shepherdess holds a basket, suggesting the collection of milk or produce, while the shepherd’s staff underscores his role as guardian. The composition celebrates everyday rural life rather than heroic narrative.
Technique & Style
Rendered in oil on canvas, the painting displays van der Does’ meticulous handling of texture and light. Fine brushwork delineates the wool of the animals and the foliage, while a soft atmospheric perspective recedes the background trees and water. The palette balances warm reds and earth tones with cooler greens, creating a harmonious, naturalistic effect.
History & Provenance
Created in the early eighteenth century, the canvas entered the Mauritshuis collection, where it remains on display. Documentation traces its acquisition to the museum’s early 20th‑century purchases of Dutch genre paintings, reflecting the institution’s focus on works that illustrate everyday life in the Netherlands.
Context
Van der Does worked within the Dutch tradition of genre painting that flourished after the Golden Age, emphasizing domestic and agrarian subjects. This piece aligns with contemporaneous depictions of shepherd life, echoing the pastoral ideal that linked rural labor with moral virtue, a theme common among Dutch artists of the period.
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