( Flemish, 1600 - 1652 )
Landscape with a herder and his cows on the edge of a wood, with a mother and child feeding chickens beside a building
Materials:
oil on oak panel
Measurements:
12.44 in. (31.60 cm.) (height) by 24.49 in. (62.20 cm.) (width)
Markings:
signed lower centre
Condition:
The panel is uncradled, only very slightly bowed, and stable. The paint surface is clean, and the varnish is clear and even. In raking light it is possible to detect some very minor tenting in the paint surface on the left-hand side, which is entirely stable. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals fine spot retouchings in the sky along the wood grain, as well as some minor retouchings in the foliage upper left, in the centre of the lower margin, in the lower right corner, and in the centre of the right margin. There is a more recent spot retouching just above the thatched roof of the hut to a small loss. None of these interventions impede the legibility of the image, and are not discernible to the naked eye. The painting is ready to hang and in good overall condition.