Young herdsman on horseback
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
sheet: 7 9/16 x 10 1/16 in. (19.2 x 25.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs David P. Tunick, in memory of Larry Turcic, 1988
Accession Number
1988.1157.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, known Il Grechetto (160–1664), was a masterful Italian Baroque artist from Genoa, for his lively depictions of pastoral scenes, animals, and equestrian figures. Created in 1638, *Young Herdsman onback* is a fine etching measuring 7 9/16 x 10 1/16 inches, showcasing the young herdsman's poised ride amid a world of horses and open landscapes. This intimate print now in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Drawings and Prints, evokes the era's romanticized view of rural life, blending human grace with the raw energy of nature. Etching, Castiglione's preferred medium, all...
About the Artist
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (Il Grechetto) · 1609–1664
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, known as Il Grechetto, was baptized on March 23, 1609, in Genoa and died on May 5, 1664, in Mantua. Born into a large family, he collaborated closely with his brother Salvatore, an artist who shared his talents, and later taught his son Francesco, whose works were sometimes confused with his own. His parents placed him in the studio of Giovanni Battista Paggi, where...