The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 10, 2026

A horizontally oriented etching in black ink uses fine, dense lines to depict a cluster of resting sheep and a ram in a field. On a hillock at the right, a shepherd sits beneath a gnarled, twisted tree playing a pipe, accompanied by a dog. The landscape recedes toward a distant church on the far left. The bottom right corner contains a calligraphic inscription: "Paulus Potter inv. et f. 1644."

The Shepherd

1644

Paulus Potter

(Dutch, 1625–1654)
Netherlands
etching
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis C. Williams for the Lewis B. Williams Collection 1974.8
Catalogue raisonné: Hollstein XVII.220.15
Location: Not on view
  • Northern Landscape Traditions: 16th and 17th Century Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 10-December 31, 1989).
    Seventeenth Century Netherlandish Graphics. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 27-August 1, 1982).
    Year in Review: 1974. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 11-April 6, 1975).
  • {{cite web|title=The Shepherd|url=false|author=Paulus Potter|year=1644|access-date=10 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1974.8