Herdsman on Horseback (Buttero a cavallo)
1885
Medium
etching on textured wove paper (artist's proof)
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to plate): 13.02 × 8.89 cm (5 1/8 × 3 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Purchased for the Virginia and Ira Jackson Collection and Ruth and Jacob Kainen Memorial Acquisition Fund
Accession Number
2021.103.1
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Fattori's *Herdsman on Horseback (Buttero a cavallo)*, created in 1885, captures the rugged essence of rural Tuscany through the figure of a *buttero*—a traditional Maremma herdsman, akin to an Italian cowboy tending livestock on horseback. As a leading member of the Macchiaioli movement, Fattori pioneered plein-air painting in 19th-century Italy, emphasizing natural light and everyday scenes over academic idealism. This intimate print reflects his fascination with the unvarnished lives of the Tuscan countryside, a recurring theme in his oeuvre that bridged Realism and Impressionism. ...
About the Artist
Giovanni Fattori
Giovanni Fattori (1825–1908) was born in Livorno and showed such aptitude for drawing that his family redirected him from a planned commercial education to an artistic apprenticeship under the local painter Giuseppe Baldini. In 1846 he moved to Florence, where he studied under Giuseppe Bezzuoli and attended the Academy of Fine Arts. His early work followed the conventions of historical and religio...