Herman van Swanevelt

Selected work

From the studio

5 works, from the studio to here.

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  The Cave

  The Cave

  Herman van Swanevelt · etching and engraving · 1652

  This series by Herman Swanevelt, The Flight into Egypt, illustrates an event from the New Testament of the Bible. Joseph, Mary, and Christ fled into Egypt to escape King Herod's persecution. Traditionally represented as a single image, Swanevelt enlarged the story into four scenes. The Holy family is first shown traveling with three angels behind them, then Joseph helps Mary off the donkey, next Joseph leads the donkey to water as Mary changes the child, and finally the family is at rest. However, the main focus of each of these prints is the depiction of landscape, a genre that reached unprecedented levels of popularity during the 1600s. The scenery, looking much more like the Italian countryside than Egypt, was inspired by Swanevelt's paintings. Although he was Dutch, he spent most of his career in Paris and Rome. As a painter, he was known for his ability to convey warm, glowing sunlight, a quality also found in his etchings. Image and data from the Cleveland Museum of Art, released under Creative Commons Zero (CC0).

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  The Donkey Led to the River

  The Donkey Led to the River

  Herman van Swanevelt · etching and engraving · 1652

  This series by Herman Swanevelt, The Flight into Egypt, illustrates an event from the New Testament of the Bible. Joseph, Mary, and Christ fled into Egypt to escape King Herod's persecution. Traditionally represented as a single image, Swanevelt enlarged the story into four scenes. The Holy family is first shown traveling with three angels behind them, then Joseph helps Mary off the donkey, next Joseph leads the donkey to water as Mary changes the child, and finally the family is at rest. However, the main focus of each of these prints is the depiction of landscape, a genre that reached unprecedented levels of popularity during the 1600s. The scenery, looking much more like the Italian countryside than Egypt, was inspired by Swanevelt's paintings. Although he was Dutch, he spent most of his career in Paris and Rome. As a painter, he was known for his ability to convey warm, glowing sunlight, a quality also found in his etchings. Image and data from the Cleveland Museum of Art, released under Creative Commons Zero (CC0).

• 

  The Flight into Egypt

  The Flight into Egypt

  Herman van Swanevelt · etching and engraving · 1652

  This series by Herman Swanevelt, The Flight into Egypt, illustrates an event from the New Testament of the Bible. Joseph, Mary, and Christ fled into Egypt to escape King Herod's persecution. Traditionally represented as a single image, Swanevelt enlarged the story into four scenes. The Holy family is first shown traveling with three angels behind them, then Joseph helps Mary off the donkey, next Joseph leads the donkey to water as Mary changes the child, and finally the family is at rest. However, the main focus of each of these prints is the depiction of landscape, a genre that reached unprecedented levels of popularity during the 1600s. The scenery, looking much more like the Italian countryside than Egypt, was inspired by Swanevelt's paintings. Although he was Dutch, he spent most of his career in Paris and Rome. As a painter, he was known for his ability to convey warm, glowing sunlight, a quality also found in his etchings. Image and data from the Cleveland Museum of Art, released under Creative Commons Zero (CC0).

• 

  The Little Angels on the Hill

  The Little Angels on the Hill

  Herman van Swanevelt · etching and engraving · 1652

  This series by Herman Swanevelt, The Flight into Egypt, illustrates an event from the New Testament of the Bible. Joseph, Mary, and Christ fled into Egypt to escape King Herod's persecution. Traditionally represented as a single image, Swanevelt enlarged the story into four scenes. The Holy family is first shown traveling with three angels behind them, then Joseph helps Mary off the donkey, next Joseph leads the donkey to water as Mary changes the child, and finally the family is at rest. However, the main focus of each of these prints is the depiction of landscape, a genre that reached unprecedented levels of popularity during the 1600s. The scenery, looking much more like the Italian countryside than Egypt, was inspired by Swanevelt's paintings. Although he was Dutch, he spent most of his career in Paris and Rome. As a painter, he was known for his ability to convey warm, glowing sunlight, a quality also found in his etchings. Image and data from the Cleveland Museum of Art, released under Creative Commons Zero (CC0).

• 

  Landscape with Travelers

  Landscape with Travelers

  Herman van Swanevelt · oil on canvas · 1630

  Swanevelt played an important role in the development of 17th-century landscape painting in Rome. Often regarded as a follower of Claude Lorrain (1600-1682), with whom he briefly shared a home, most scholars now believe that the influence was mutual. Swanevelt's landscapes are distinguished by the use of Roman peasants, rather than the classical figures preferred by his contemporaries. Image and data from the Cleveland Museum of Art, released under Creative Commons Zero (CC0).

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