Jan Both

Jan Both painted Italy as Dutch collectors dreamed of it: wide, imaginary landscapes bathed in warm golden light, with travellers, muleteers and herdsmen on winding roads beneath tall trees and distant hills. He was one of the painters who created the Dutch Italianate landscape, and his glowing light stayed influential for generations.

Born in Utrecht around 1618, the son of a glassmaker, he trained with Abraham Bloemaert and travelled to Rome with his brother Andries, where both were working by 1638. There he painted in the manner of Claude Lorrain and worked with Claude and Herman van Swanevelt on landscapes for the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid. He was back in Utrecht by 1646 and died in 1652. His works are in the Rijksmuseum, the Louvre, the Hermitage and the National Gallery, London.

In Italian Landscape with Draughtsman, follow the light from the far hills down to the figures.