The Three Droves

Three herds of cattle cross a golden Italianate landscape — past a ruined tower, a herdsman resting, and travellers on a sunlit road. Nicolaes Berchem was the most successful of the Dutch painters who brought the warm light of Italy home, and this wide panoramic canvas shows why: the air shimmers, the cattle drift in gentle rhythm, and the whole scene glows with an idealised, untroubled afternoon.