32. Nicolaes Berchem
(1620-1683)
Animalia (Set of Sheep with the Singing Shepherdess)

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Berchem, Animalia

Animalia (Set of Sheep with the Singing Shepherdess)

Other Images:

Etchings, ca. 1644, (set of 6), 105 x 131 mm., Bartsch 29-34, Hollstein 29-34 iii/vi. A fine, complete and uniform set of the first edition on laid paper with foolscap watermark and large margins; a few stains or damages in the margins. Berchem was a great and prolific painter of Italianate pastoral landscapes, often peopled with mythological figures, but as an etcher, he was primarily an animalist. His etchings of cattle, horses, sheep and goats are carefully observed and meticulously rendered but, in addition, he often finds a certain gracefulness of pose and personality that escaped many of his contemporaries. This set, also known as “A Woman’s Sketchbook,” is exemplary. Though late editions are often found on the market, the complete first edition, as published by Clemendt de Jonghe, is scarce.