ORThe Open Room
Digital gallery
Back to the NGA collection
The image shows a shepherd sleeping against a grassy hillock on the right side, with a dog standing nearby. Several sheep are scattered around the landscape, with a group gathered on a rise in the center. In the background, there are rolling hills and a vast sky filled with clouds. The sky occupies a significant portion of the image. The engraving technique is used to create details and depth in the scene. The artwork is monochromatic, using shades of gray to depict light and shadow, enhancing the serene quality of the pastoral scene.
Read the visual description

The image shows a shepherd sleeping against a grassy hillock on the right side, with a dog standing nearby. Several sheep are scattered around the landscape, with a group gathered on a rise in the center. In the background, there are rolling hills and a vast sky filled with clouds. The sky occupies a significant portion of the image. The engraving technique is used to create details and depth in the scene. The artwork is monochromatic, using shades of gray to depict light and shadow, enhancing the serene quality of the pastoral scene.

National Gallery of Art · Print

A Shepherd Sleeping while His Dog Guards His Flock

Heinrich Carl Reinhold

Date
c. 1815-1817
Medium
etching on wove paper
Dimensions
image: 10.48 × 16.99 cm (4 1/8 × 6 11/16 in.) plate: 12.38 × 19.05 cm (4 7/8 × 7 1/2 in.) sheet: 13.97 × 20.32 cm (5 1/2 × 8 in.)
Classification
Print
Accession number
2018.169.1
Credit line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Time span
1801 to 1825
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record

Subjects and terms

  • Landscape
  • Tree
  • Dog
  • Sheep
  • Man
Provenance

Dr. Andreas Andresen [1828-1871], Nuremberg and Leipzig; (his sale, C.G. Boerner, Leipzig, December 1, 1873, part of no. 2090 [1]); John S. Phillips [1800-1876], Philadelphia; bequeathed 1876 to Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; de-accessioned and acquired by Philadelphia Museum of Art 1985 (Muriel and Philip Berman Gift); de-accessioned 2017 [2] and sold through (C.G. Boerner, New York); purchased 2018 by NGA. [1] described as “14 Bl. Genredarstellungen und Landschaften mit Vieh. 8. fol. Hübsche Blätter in schönon Drucken. Zwei Blatt doppelt” [2] accession numbers 1985-52-18701 to 18706

Inscription

lower left in plate: Heinrich Reinhold inv. & fec.

NGA object ID 216813. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.