Landschaft mit Ruinen, vorne ein Hirte bei Schafen 

Jan van Huysum made this pen and brown ink drawing called 'Landscape with Ruins, in the foreground a shepherd with sheep' in the first half of the 18th century. It shows an idealized vision of nature populated by shepherds and their animals, along with decaying classical architecture in the background. The Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century saw an increasing interest in the rural landscape, and the taste for pastoral imagery lingered into the next century. But it was transformed through the influence of aristocratic patronage and the Grand Tour, a trip through the European continent, where wealthy Europeans, especially British, would visit significant cultural sites, and return home with art and antiquities. Dutch artists started to incorporate classical ruins in their landscapes to appeal to this taste. The visual codes point to a society increasingly fascinated by its place in the grand sweep of history. By studying art like this, we can learn a great deal about the changing values and aspirations of 18th-century Europe.