Artwork

A Landscape with a Herd of Cows and Goats, Surmounted by Another Landscape, Upside-down, with a Man Pushing a Wheelbarrow

A Landscape with a Herd of Cows and Goats, Surmounted by Another Landscape, Upside-down, with a Man Pushing a Wheelbarrow is an ink drawing by the Romanticist artist Adrian Zingg. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

In the foreground a herd of cows and goats ambles along a sinuous dirt track that winds through a hilly, wooded landscape.

Adrian Zingg’s pen-and-ink drawing, dated around 1800, presents a dual‑scene composition on wove paper. In the foreground a herd of cows and goats ambles along a sinuous dirt track that winds through a hilly, wooded landscape. Above this, an inverted landscape is rendered, showing a solitary figure pushing a wheelbarrow. The work combines two perspectives within a single sheet, creating a visual surprise for the viewer.

Subject & Meaning

The primary scene depicts pastoral activity, emphasizing the relationship between livestock and the cultivated countryside. The secondary, upside‑down vignette introduces a human labor element, perhaps commenting on the interdependence of agrarian work and animal husbandry. By juxtaposing the two views, Zingg invites reflection on the layered nature of rural life and the ways in which different visual angles can alter perception.

Technique & Style

Executed with brown ink and wash over faint graphite underdrawings, the drawing relies on fine pen lines and cross‑hatching to model form and suggest texture. The ink wash deepens shadows and defines the rolling terrain, while the delicate graphite traces reveal the artist’s preparatory stages. The overall effect balances detailed draftsmanship with a sketch‑like spontaneity characteristic of early‑19th‑century landscape studies.

History & Provenance

Created circa 1800, the work belongs to Zingg’s early output during his tenure as a drawing master at the Zurich Academy. Its provenance traces through several private collections before entering a museum holding of Swiss drawings. No record of exhibition or sale prior to the 20th century is documented, indicating the piece remained largely within scholarly or collector circles.