The image shows a landscape of rolling hills with a line of hills in the middle ground. A small tower or structure is visible in the distance. The brushstrokes are loose and fluid, using brown ink to render the scene in washes and faint outlines, creating an atmospheric quality. The color palette is sepia tones with varying intensities of brown. In the foreground, there are three figures with walking sticks in a rocky landscape. Sketched trees and a distant flock of birds are also visible.
Gallery mode Full size at the museum

Shepherds Peering into a Chasm

Guercino (Bolognese, 1591 - 1666)

1620s

Medium
pen and brown ink with brown wash on laid paper
Classification
Drawing
Dimensions
overall: 20 x 27.8 cm (7 7/8 x 10 15/16 in.)
Culture
Bolognese
Museum
National Gallery of Art, CG-E
Credit line
Gift of Nicholas Brown, J. Carter Brown and Angela B. Fischer: Tenants in Common
Rights
Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art

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