← Johannes van Doetecum I

Village Street, hay stacked in front of a farm from Praediorum villarum et rusticarum casularum icones elenoantissimae ad vivum in apre deformatae

Original title: Village Street, hay stacked in front of a farm from Praediorum villarum et rusticarum casularum icones elenoantissimae ad vivum in apre deformatae

Artist

Johannes van Doetecum I

Date

ca. 1559–61

Medium

Etching; first state of three

Dimensions

Plate: 6 (cut at top) x 7 15/16 in. (15.3 (cut) x 20.2 cm) Sheet: 6 15/16 x 9 13/16 in. (17.7 x 25 cm)

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1922

kurzbeschreibung

A village street runs past a large farmhouse with hay stacked in front of it in this etching by Johannes van Doetecum I, made around 1559–61. The print belongs to a series of idealized country estates and farmhouses. This is the first of three states, in black and white.

Description

A path in the foreground cuts through the village. On the left stands a large farmhouse with a pitched roof, and in front of it are piled straw bales or hay. Further back on the right, more buildings and trees extend the sense of a village. Trees and bushes frame the view. The sky is cloudy, and the light falls evenly, with no visible shadows.

Context

The etching is part of a print series presenting rural properties and farmhouses, published in sixteenth-century Antwerp. Johannes van Doetecum I, a Dutch engraver, often worked with his brother Lucas. The series fits into the broader Renaissance interest in depicting country life.

Impact

Clear lines and even lighting give the scene a calm, idyllic mood. The image feels factual and documentary, yet it also emphasizes the order and productivity of the countryside.

Technique

In etching, lines are bitten into a plate with acid and then printed on paper. This method allows for fine hatching, as seen in the roof structures and trees. The print is monochrome, in black on paper.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)