Large Farm with Draw Well

Art Historical Context

**Large Farm with Draw Well**Created around 1559–1561, this etching retouched with engraving by Johannes van Doetech the Elder and his brother Lucas captures a serene rural scene after designs by the enigmatic *Master of the Small Landscapes Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Rosen Collection (Department CG-E), it depicts a sturdy farmstead with a prominent draw well, evoking the everyday life of 16th-century Netherland countryside. The *Doetechum* brothers, skilled Antwerp printmakers during the Renaissance, were pivotal in disseminating innovative landscape art. This print belongs to the groundbreaking *Small Landscapes* series (c. 1554–59), one of the earliest dedicated sets of landscape etchings, which shifted focus from religious or allegorical subjects to realistic vignettes of farms, villages, and waterways. These works helped elevate landscape as an independent genre, influencing masters like Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The mixed technique—etching's spontaneous, fluid lines enhanced by engraving's crisp details—allowed for remarkable texture and depth on a small scale, making high-quality reproductions accessible. Visitors will appreciate how this print preserves a vivid snapshot of pre-industrial rural harmony, blending technical mastery with cultural nostalgia.

About the Artist

Johannes van Doetechum, the Elder and Lucas van Doetechum after Master of the Small Landscapes

**Johannes van Doetechum the Elder and Lucas van Doetechum: Masters of the Small Landscapes** Johannes van Doetechum the Elder, born around 1530 in Deventer in the northern Netherlands, and his brother Lucas, active from 1554, formed one of the most prolific engraving teams of the 16th-century Netherlandish Renaissance. Hailing from a family of printmakers—Johannes was the son of Jan ter Heghe an...