This late 19th-century oil painting by A Hoeck depicts a weather-beaten Italian shepherd sporting the various layers of his rugged daily garb. It’s an intense portrayal.

Numerous artists of this period were a little obsessed with those that worked the land in rural Italy. Travelling to study the epic ruins within the Roman Campagna, artists occasionally turned their attention to leathery shepherds. These earring-wearing, fur-covered wanderers captured the imagination and brought a gritty realism to the typical pastoral idyll. They controlled the landscape, living off their wits - like true romantic anti-heroes.

Little is known about the artist, A Hoeck, but they were probably German.

Signed/dated lower left and held within a gilded 19th-century frame.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 25” x 28½” / 64cm x 72cm
Year of creation: 1883
Condition: Artwork presents well. Canvas relined. Craquelure but the paint is stable. Frame with some light wear.