A Rhenish Landscape - Herman Saftleven (Rotterdam 1609- Utrecht 1685)

Herman Saftleven (brother of Cornelis) spent most of his life in Utrecht, except from some traveling he did in the Rhine Valley (in the early 1650's).
There, he found inspiration for his later work, similar to ours. These little paintings are idealized depictions of a perfect arcadic landscape that make us dream away.
It is no coincidence that Saftleven maintained a warm friendship with Joost Van den Vondel during his life.

Signed and dated below left HS/1652
oil on copper, 26 x 33cm
Published: W. Schulz, Herman Saftleven, Berlin, 1982, Nr 76.