A gentle 19th-century pastoral scene depicting a shepherd and two sheep near Mariager Fjord in Denmark.

The artist Harald Foss (1843-1922) has captured the scene beautifully with an Autumnal palette and an appreciation of light. He loved to celebrate rural Danish life and often stayed with locals during painting trips to the countryside.

Foss trained under the great P.C. Skovgaard (1817-1875) who is considered one of the finest painters of the Danish Golden Age. Both artists adopted a romantic approach to landscape painting that was driven by their love for nature. It’s said that Foss was so enamoured with the great outdoors that he was known to omit buildings if they spoilt his view.

The painting is signed in the lower right and dated 1888.