Country Road by a House, 1620s

Goffredo Wals, an early teacher of Claude Lorrain, was born in Cologne and joined the Roman studio of Agostino Tassi after an initial stay in Naples. He was influenced by the Flemish painter Paul Bril and his fellow countryman Adam Elsheimer, who produced jewel-like landscapes on copper. Wals’s oeuvre has only recently been reconstructed: over thirty works have been identified to date. They show a radically fresh approach to nature and coloring; most are without prominent figures and employ strong contrasts of light and shade. The simplified settings, often painted in a round format, with an emphasis on straight and circular forms, convey an impression of serenity.

An early example of pure landscape, without historical, religious, or literary content, this rare painting on copper records the effects of warm light bathing a country road at the close of day. Unlike most classical landscapes, it is devoid of framing elements to lead the viewer into the scene, and it features a daringly empty foreground. It was the first work by Wals to enter an American public collection.