Ernst Bosch - Peasant Scene
Ernst Bosch (1834-1917), German
Peasant Scene (Shepherd and his Grandchild), undated
OIL ON PANEL, 8 ⅝ x ⅜ inches
Gift of Mrs. Theodora Willard Best
Ernst Bosch's depiction of an old shepherd assisting a young girl provides an idyllic sense of peace and simplicity. Smoke rises gently from the chimney of the house just beyond the rise and the shepherd's flock pastures quietly in the middle ground under the watchful eye of the shepherd's dog. The enclosing wall of trees at the left offers some shade and a protective sense of enclosure; no threats present themselves to disturb the scene's prevailing tranquility. In an era scarred by war and social unrest, peasant scenes such as Bosch's offered reprieve from the ever-hastening pace of modern life. Very little is known of the artist himself, except that he both trained and worked primarily in Dusseldorf, Germany.