Circle of Nicolas Poussin
Les Andelys, Normandy, 1594-Rome, 1665
Arcadian Landscape, ca. 1627
Oil on canvas.
Some scholars first attributed this painting to the French master Nicolas Poussin. Others argued that it was the work of a follower because its forms are insufficiently constructed. Moreover, its blond palette is incompatible with its likely date, while its handling is too even and its finish too slick for Poussin’s hand at any time. But an identical composition, rendered with the sense of structure, deep palette, and bold touch of Poussin’s early activity in Rome, has come to light in England, proving this picture to be a replica by a member of Poussin’s immediate circle.