Romantic landscape with cattle

This painting from the collection of the Potockis, the former owners of the Łańcut castle, presents a genre scene - a herd of cattle in a pasture in the forest. The painting is from the 2nd half of the 17th century; unfortunately, we do not know its author, only that he belonged to the so-called “Dutch school”. In the Netherlands, which was a Protestant country, there was no demand for religious-themed paintings; however, still lifes, landscapes, and portraits enjoyed great popularity. They were intended for residential interiors, but were often used to decorate even shops and crafts workshops. The Łańcut painting is somewhat part of this trend, showing a herd of cattle in the foreground (cows, a calf, sheep), and somewhat in the background, a seated man and woman, watching over the grazing animals. The colour palette is dark, the hues subdued, dominated with greenish-brown tones, slightly golden. The light falls from the upper right corner, illuminating the animals and the people; the rest falls into darkness. On the right side, the composition is open, featuring a space with mountains on the horizon and a building visible at the foot of the mountains. The building is surrounded by thick growth. The sky is blue with white-grey clouds with a pinkish tinge. The painting is framed in a broad wooden profiled frame, decorated with two types of cymatium. It is displayed in the Parade (Red) Corridor on the first floor of the Łańcut palace.