Seated Shepherd with Cows and Sheep in a Meadow

Seated Shepherd with Cows and Sheep in a Meadow from 1644 is an early pastoral scene by Aelbert Cuyp that establishes the essential elements of his lifelong engagement with the genre: a restful herdsman, contented livestock, and a luminous landscape setting. Cuyp worked primarily in Dordrecht throughout his career, and his paintings of the Dutch countryside—cattle in golden light, river views, and horsemen against luminous skies—established him as one of the most technically accomplished landscape painters of the Dutch Golden Age.

The composition centers on the resting shepherd surrounded by his charges, with the warm pastoral light of the meadow setting anticipating Cuyp's mature golden-toned landscapes.