(Paris 1602–1686)
A Campagna landscape with shepherds and their flock by a stream,
oil on canvas, 39 x 53 cm, framed

We are grateful to Luuk Pijl for confirming the attribution of the present painting (written communication).

Little is known about the life and work of the landscapist Henri Mauperché. A monographic essay (B. Biard, Henri Mauperché, Paysagiste au Long Cours, in: L’Estampille – L’ Objet d’Art, Paris 1997, no. 316, p. 41) mentions only ten incontestable works. Mauperché’s landscapes have frequently been mistaken for those by Pierre Patel I and Laurent de La Hyre. Having sojourned in Rome for several years, Mauperché returned to Paris in 1639, where he collaborated with painters such as Pierre Patel I, Jan Asselijn, and Herman van Swanevelt in the decoration of the Hôtel Richelieu and the Hôtel Lambert. In 1648, Mauperché became a member of the Académie Royale.

The present painting is probably to be dated after Mauperché’s association with Van Swanevelt in Paris. It clearly shows the influence of the Dutch master in its composition, the way that the figures relate to the landscape and the light colour scheme employed. Typical for Mauperche is the colourful way that the foliage is rendered and how he uses reeds as an element in the composition. The slender, almost restless figures are also typical for the master.