Animaux à la rivière

Four cows stand on a grassy terrace lapped by clear, tranquil water — one drinks, another ruminates lying beside two lambs, while a fifth cow rests near a reclining goat. In the middle distance, in the shadow cast by ruins, a shepherd tries to steal a kiss from a young village girl who defends herself vigorously, observed with relish by two peasants hidden in the undergrowth. Pastoral scenes were Adriaen van de Velde’s favourite subject: until the end of his life he walked the countryside every week to draw and paint animals and landscapes. The painting is held in the Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris.