A beautiful late 19th-century oil painting depicting two farmers with a small flock of sheep on a riverbank. The last of the day’s sun illuminates a winding river as a canopy of trees creates shade and atmosphere.

The artist, Julius Jacobus Van De Sande Bakhuijzen (1835-1925) was a member of the Hague School group of painters that worked between 1860 and 1890. This influential collective shared a passion for muted tones, subdued landscapes, and warm greys, and aimed to convey a feeling rather than simply a good likeness of the scenery before them.

Note the subtle changes in lightness as the various layers of the landscape disappear from view. It reveals a little more every time you look closely.

Van De Sande Bakhuyzen was highly regarded during his lifetime and he was awarded a royal medal in 1871. He is currently represented at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and his works are held in collections worldwide. At auction, between 1997 and 2020, five of his paintings sold for over £10,000.