A Man driving Cows

A bold division between dark and light sets the scene for this painting of two halves. On the left, the shadowy tree trunk and silhouetted foliage frame a pastoral scene where a lone herdsperson, their long shadow drawn out in the late afternoon light, drives two cows along the edge of a wood. There is a suggestion of animation between the animals, caught in the moment as the brown cow hesitates on the edge of a dip, while the white cow placidly observes her trepidation from below. The herdsperson, and their dog, appear distracted from this impasse by something beyond the picture plane in the realm of the viewer. On the right-hand side, the stark change of light denotes a shift in focus to the middle ground. Here, against the softly rendered backdrop of a castle and distant hills, the narrative continues with the gaze of the distant rider turned in the same direction as the figure in the foreground, connecting them beyond the confines of the canvas.  

When the work was bought by Dulwich Picture Gallery founder, Francis Bourgeois (1753-1811), it was originally attributed to the Dutch landscape painter, Aelbert Cuyp (1620-91). The largescale painting first hung in the passage leading to Bourgeois’ dining room in Charlotte Street (today Hallam Street), London. Cuyp was a highly collectible artist in the late eighteenth century, with many imitators. Although the soft Italianate light and pastoral setting were a feature of Cuyp’s work, the figure and large cows in the left foreground are not indicative of his style. The painting has since been attributed to Jan Frans Soolmaker (1635-c.85), who worked in Haarlem in the mid-seventeenth century and was known for equestrian and arcadian scenes.