Landschap met herder in octagonaal kader 1582 - 1648

Paul Bril created this Landscape with a Shepherd in an Octagonal Frame with etching in the late 16th century. The framing of this piece immediately stands out. Bril uses it to draw attention to the artificiality of the landscape. The shepherd and his companion who populate the foreground of the scene may exist in a natural setting, but the buildings and distant mountains remind us of the march of civilization. Made in the Netherlands during a time of great economic expansion, Bril’s landscape may be read as an argument for man’s cultivation of the natural world. Art historians look at a wide range of sources to develop their interpretations. In Bril’s case, we might compare this image to contemporary scientific and economic writings to better understand its cultural significance. We might also consider how the patronage of the art market at this time, a relatively new phenomenon, shaped the production of landscapes like these.