A Shepherdess

A resident of Utrecht, one of the cultural capitals of the Dutch Republic, Wtewael specialized in pictures of biblical and mythological subjects. Whether executed on large canvases or small copper supports, his ambitious compositions are densely packed with incidental detail and attenuated figures in elegant, expressive poses. In these paired paintings, the shepherd and shepherdess fill most of the pictorial space. That they seem poised to emerge from their confinement enhances our intimate engagement with them. They project an arch sensuality through their coy smiles and bare shoulders, the bagpipe and crook, and the curve of a breast. Their costumes and attributes allude to the fashion in Dutch art and literature of the 1620s for amorous fantasies, with lovers imitating the randy shepherds of ancient and Renaissance pastoral poetry. The sophisticated amalgam of poetic allusion, mischievous sexuality, and pictorial illusionism is typical of Utrecht paintings of this period.