Landschap met fluitspelende herder onder boom en zes stuks vee Possibly 1774

Richard Earlom created this landscape with etching around 1774, populated by cattle and a shepherd. The shepherd plays his flute beneath a tree, a pastoral image harking back to Arcadia, the mythical place of rustic harmony. The figure of the shepherd, ever-present in art since antiquity, echoes through Virgil’s poetry and the canvases of Renaissance masters. He reappears in Poussin’s idealized landscapes, each time with a flute, symbolizing a longing for a simpler, more harmonious existence. This archetype taps into our collective memory, an enduring symbol of man's connection to nature. But the flute is not just an instrument; it is a signifier of leisure, of introspection, and of a life lived outside the demands of society. Its music is the voice of the idyll, a siren call to escape the complexities of modern life. This image speaks to a deep-seated desire for tranquility and a return to a primal state, echoing through time and culture, always calling us back to the pastoral dream.