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“Shepherd w/ Sheep” Barbizon Painting by Francois Ter Meulen (Dutch, 1843-1927)

Creator: Francois Pieter Ter Meulen
Offered by: Silla, ltd.

Description
An exceptional painting by Dutch painter Francois Pieter "Ter" Meulen, the work depicts a shepherd guiding his sheep out of the wooded grove and into a larger pasture. The work is vigorously painted with a heavy impasto brushstroke and wealth of competing colors. As a specialist in landscapes, Meulen excelled in his depictions of sheep; in the present example, he treats these with a distinctly impressionistic hand, blurring the figure and animals to the point of borderline abstraction.

Heavy with atmosphere, the blue skies overhead cast a warm light through the leaves of the trees and onto the sheep, glowing through the wool along the ridge of their backs and bringing an incredible high-chroma to the green of the pasture grass. It is signed in his typical script in the lower right "Ter Meulen".

This substantial and exquisite work was executed in oil on canvas and was later laid down on artist panel. It has been beautifully and minimally restored by our conservator and is in excellent presentation-ready condition for your collection.

Francois Pieter "Ter" Meulen was a prominent member of the Hague School and his work is held in numerous museum collections including the Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum, Teylers Museum, The Hague and Noord-Veluws Museum. In his 1881-1883 letters, Van Gogh describes Ter Meulen as a painter he remembers "struggling and swotting" in the studio of Jules Bakhuyzen, but who has since emerged with paintings quite excellent - in particular, in his 1881 letter he describes two of Meulen's paintings of sheep in dunes and snow respectively and "he's becoming really good".

Measurements: 43 3/4" H x 36 1/2" W x 4" D [frame]; 36" H x 28 7/8" W [panel]

Condition Report:
Professionally conserved, cleaned and in fine presentation-ready condition. Some losses to the gilding of the frame.

More Information

Documentation:	Signed
Origin:	Netherlands
Period:	19th Century
Materials:	Canvas, Paint, Wood, Hand-painted
Condition:	Good.
Creation Date:	Circa 19th-20th Century
Styles / Movements:	Impressionism, Realism
Dealer Reference #:	810XLK12A
Incollect Reference #:	309867