Herman van Swanevelt

1603 Worden – 1655 Paris

Herman van Swanevelt’s significance is largely attributable to the contribution he made to the development and depiction of the ideal landscape in the first half of the 17th century. In 1629, Swanevelt made his way via Paris to Rome, where he was active up to 1638, working inter alia for the Doria-Pamphilij and Barberini families as well as for King Philipp V of Spain. His landscapes were strongly influenced by the paintings of Claude Lorrain, whom he met in Rome. Apart from numerous paintings Swanevelt produced an extensive printed oeuvre comprising over one hundred landscape etchings bathed in warm, southern light and often invigorated by little staffage figures in the foreground.