Heinrich Wilhelm (Hendrik Willem) Schweickhardt, Shepherds with their Animals by a River
Signed lower left: HW Schweickhardt
Following his training in The Hague under Hieronymus Lapis, Schweikhardt spent his formative years in the Northern Netherlands and was greatly inspired by the style of landscape painting there, which was already beginning to anticipate the Romantic style. Following numerous commissions from England, Schweikhardt left The Hague to settle in London in 1786, where he continued his successful career. This small, idyllic landscape scene depicts a shepherd family resting at the foot of a hill with their cows, goats, and sheep whilst a panoramic view of a quiet river valled opens up on the right.