Circle of Nicolaes Pietersz Berchem, Dutch 1620-1683- A pastoral landscape with figures and animals; oil on canvas, 71 x 86 cm. (VAT charged on hammer price). Note: Berchem was one of the most prolific Dutch Golden Age painters who produced distinctive compositions inspired by the Italian landscape. These idealised rural scenes usually include distant hills, cliffs, and staffage, and are often framed by trees and shrubbery all suffused in a warm light. The present work follows this format, and the positioning of the animals, figures and cliffs guides the viewers' eye to the distant hills. Although it is not known if Berchem ever visited Italy, his friendships with other artists who had travelled south certainly influenced his works. Van Goyen, Van Ruisdael, Jan Asselijn and Jan Both, for example, profoundly impacted his early works until around the 1650s when he came to adopt his own style, transitioning from traditional horizontal compositions to vertical and square formats then increasingly considered to be more commercially appealing.Please refer to department for condition report