Stefano Della Bella, Four Large Vertical Landscapes Pl. 2, c. 1652-57, etching on laid paper. The Clark, 1983.57

Pastoral landscapes often feature human and animal figures. The humans are typically herdsmen, muleteers, travelers, washerwomen, or peasants, and the animals are usually livestock—cows, goats, pigs, and sheep—or pack animals—donkeys, mules, and oxen. Although people appear to be at work in many pastoral landscapes, their occupations are represented more like pastimes than as strenuous labor. Similarly, pastoral artworks present animals in a state of contentment. The cows are shown drinking and grazing, without any indication that they are being raised for slaughter. We might pause to consider to what extent these representations of peasant life and animal husbandry are realistic.