Oil painting on canvas by Johann Heinrich Roos (Otterberg, September 29, 1631 - Frankfurt am Main, October 3, 1685). Family of shepherds with herds and landscape in the background. 60x100 cm. Monogram lower right H R. "The Painter's family emigrated to Amsterdam because of the Thirty Years War in 1640. He was a pupil of Guilliam du Gardijn, Cornelis de Bie and Barent Graat, but the landscape painters of Nicolaes Berchem and Karel Dujardin had the greatest influence on him. in 1653 the Roos family back to Germany, where Johann and his brother Theodor Roos work together on a commission for a cloister in Mainz. Between 1654 and 1659, Johann worked for Ernst Landgrave Hesse-Rheinfels (son of Maurice, who lived between 1623 and 1693), where he painted a portrait of a prince (1654, Heidelberg, Kurpfälzisches Museum) and religious scenes. in 1664 he was invited to paint at the court of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine. because of poor working conditions, he moved with his family to Frankfurt in 1667, where he very successfully, but lost everything in a fire in 1685. The painting in question seems to be the best that could express the painter, when voule represent the union of men and animals in idyllic harmony with nature - this was his thought that aspired to give his impression of realistic character portrayals, especially in rural scenes and depictions of animals. In the present case, there is a sense of racy lingerie, almost familiar, that globalization in a union harmonizing landscape, and therefore nature, humans and animals. Faced with a comparison with his son Philipp Peter, we could say that is much more moody and intimate in the search for a link with the whole of nature, and less theatrical, almost not wanting to be enfatizzante as the son, who often adopts in the foreground scenes depictions of animals and portraiture almost the same. See More