Jan Both
, Dutch, c.1618-1652
Title
An Italian LandscapeDate1645-1650
MediumOil on canvas laid on board
Dimensions
80 x 97 cm
Signedlower left: J Both
Credit LinePresented, Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, 1950
Object numberNGI.4292
DescriptionTogether with his brother Andries, Jan Both worked in Italy during the late 1630s and early 1640s, painting mostly genre scenes. After his return to Holland, he specialised in wooded landscapes bathed in the golden light of the Mediterranean. Both’s work was much imitated by contemporary Dutch painters. An Italian Landscape is a typical example of theartist’s preference for depicting travellers in the woods of the Apennine mountains.
Label TextDuring his extensive stay in Rome, from approximately 1637 until 1641, the Dutch painter Both specialised in ‘low-life’ genre scenes. After returning to his native Utrecht, he painted mostly wooded landscapes, bathed in golden light that illuminates highly detailed foliage and trees. Both’s works were widely imitated by contemporaries and later artists. Like many of his works, this painting depicts travellers on a path flanked by trees and a meandering river. Hidden behind a hill, the late-afternoon sun illuminated the scene, casting long shadows. None of Both’s later paintings portray identifiable places.