Herman van SwaneveltDutch, 1603–1655Landscape with the Cardinal
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Landscape with the Cardinal” now? Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Herman van Swanevelt was one of many Dutch Golden Age artists who worked in Italy and France. His earliest secure works are views of Paris made in 1623. He worked in Rome from 1629 to 1641, and after Rome, settled again in Paris. He became a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1651 and enjoyed major painting commissions.
Read on
Van Swanevelt produced some 116 etchings. Landscape with a Cardinal belongs to a suite of twelve landscape etchings featuring Roman ruins that the artist himself published. It features a monumental ruin, perhaps inspired by the Baths of Caracalla, but placed in a more bucolic setting. The title derives from a small, robed staffage figure with a broad-brimmed hat in the foreground, one of five men seen walking along a road and about to encounter a seated beggar. Van Swanevelt's handling of the etching needle is particularly lively. A rich play of light pervades the image: dark foreground shadows, sundrenched walls, others in half light, and beautifully rendered atmospheric perspective in the background. The whole is evocative of a beautiful day's walk in the countryside. This is a very early impression of the first edition of the etching.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Details
- Accession number
- 2012.105.2
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — public domain
In the life of Herman van Swanevelt
The whole life1650
Marriage to Suzanne Rousseau
In 1650 Swanevelt married Suzanne Rousseau.
1651
Admission to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture
In 1651 Swanevelt was admitted to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. In France he enjoyed the patronage of Cardinal Richelieu and King Louis XIV.
1655
Died
