Thomas Gainsborough,
Wooded Landscape with Herdsman driving Cattle,
Great Britain,
about 1781-82,
Transparent oil on glass,
Museum no. P.32-1955
Wooded Landscape with Herdsman driving Cattle
This composition derives from 17th-century Flemish painters such as Rubens. Here, the herdsman is driving the cattle from a pond overhung by trees where they have just been watered. The backlighting intensifies the reflective character of the pool.