This painting is first recorded in the collection of Etienne-François de Choiseul, one of the greatest assemblages of art in France in the later part of the eighteenth century. Choiseul owned eight works by Rembrandt van Rijn, among masterpieces by Jacob van Ruisdael, Gerard ter Borch, Louis le Nain and Jean-Baptiste Greuze. Some of de Choiseul's works of art were dispersed in 1772, after which this painting was acquired by Louis François de Bourbon, Prince of Conti, whose celebrated art collection was housed in a purpose built gallery at the Palais de Temple in Paris, where he served as Grand Prior of the Knights of Malta.
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This painting is executed on a panel comprised of a single board with a horizontal grain. Beveling is visible on the left, right and upper edges of the reverse. The paint layer is stable under a clear varnish. An uneven craquelure is visible across the surface. In natural light some inpainting is visible to the craquelure at center, where the mountainous landscape and ruins meet. Inspection with an ultraviolet lamp revealed some further restorations to the craquelure as well as scattered pinpoint retouches in the sky and landscape. A few strokes strengthen the contours of the clothing if the shepherd figure standing at left. The painting presents well and is offered in a Dutch-style frame.