Posts
“Inside the MFAH” provides perspectives, conversations, and opinions from insiders at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Keeping Watch over Their Flocks: Joachim Wtewael’s Shepherds December 9, 2015
You’ll see shepherds throughout the exhibition Pleasure and Piety: The Art of Joachim Wtewael (1566–1638)because pastoral imagery—that is, depictions of shepherds and serene countrysides—was common in early-17th-century painting and literature. Joachim Wtewael’s shepherds, clean and idealized, carry the accoutrements of the pastoral life: a water-filled gourd, bagpipes, floppy hats, and a staff …