This mountainous landscape bathed in warm sunlight is close in style to the Italianate landscapes of Jan Both (about 1615 - 1652). The composition is based on drawings made by Berchem during his stay in Italy, which probably took place in the early 1650s.
Berchem, a native of Haarlem, was the son of the still life painter Pieter Claesz., by whom there is also a painting in the National Gallery, 'Still Life with Drinking Vessels'.
