A Woman and a Boy with Animals at a Ford
- Artist: Karel Dujardin
- Date: 1657
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is "A Woman and a Boy with Animals at a Ford" painted by Karel Dujardin in 1657. Here, we see a charming scene of rural life, typical of the pastoral theme that was so popular among Dutch collectors at this time. The woman looks down at her little boy as he takes a moment to himself by the river.
Notice how the cliffs behind them are rocky and inhospitable, but the water is cool and refreshing - it's clear they've come here to escape the dust of their journey. The animals wait patiently or lean in to drink, adding to the sense of peace and tranquility.
The woman herself is a lovely touch - her loose garments and carefree attitude are a departure from Dujardin's usual Italian peasant women, who were typically neatly dressed. And look at the little boy himself - he seems much older than you might expect, perhaps eight or nine years old, with strong limbs compared to the chubby legs of a toddler.
Dujardin's use of light here is exquisite - see how it catches the heads of the woman and child, as well as the rocks above them. He brings together the rough terrain of the Italian mountains with the clear skies and fluffy clouds of his native Netherlands in this beautiful landscape.
See it in person
A Woman and a Boy with Animals at a Ford hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
