Wooded Landscape with Two Country Carts and Figures
1779/1780, published 1797
Medium
soft-ground etching printed in brown on wove paper
Dimensions
plate (image): 29.9 × 39 cm (11 3/4 × 15 3/8 in.) plate (text): 2 × 39.6 cm (13/16 × 15 9/16 in.) sheet: 32 × 40 cm (12 5/8 × 15 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Andrew W. Mellon Fund
Accession Number
1976.39.1
Art Historical Context
Thomas Gainsborough, one of Britain's foremost 18th-century artists, captures the serene beauty of the English countryside in *Wooded Landscape with Two Country Carts and Figures*. Created around 1779–1780 and published in 1797 by the influential print publishers John and Josiah Boydell, this work reflects Gainsborough's mastery of landscape painting. Renowned for his fluid, atmospheric Rococo style—bridging the elegance of the 18th century with emerging Romantic sensibilities—he often depicted rural idylls teeming with rustic charm, evoking a nostalgic harmony between humans and nature. Rend...