The subject of this serene landscape is the mythical Golden Age. A shepherd teaches a girl to play the pipes, his herds grazing safely behind, all living in harmony with nature. Claude’s exhaustive studies of the Roman countryside enabled him to paint such a convincing melting distance with its glorious morning light effect. The landscape is not based, however, on an actual location. The framing trees, the counterbalancing hill, and the water meandering into the distance recur in Claude’s works. This carefully idealised structure, combined with his golden light, made the French landscapist one of the most influential of any period.