The Return of the Herd, 1565 (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria)

Note how this representation contains most of the elements contained in "Gloomy Day" another canvas part of the same series of six paintings depicting the seasons. If Gloomy Days tells the beginning of spring, as is likely, then the Return of the Herd tells of  late autumn, probably November, when the herd is being assembled and taken home for the winter months. The presence of the master in heavy clothes, riding on a horse whilst the peasants drive the herd towards the village and the storm that gathers strength on the right hand side of the landscape reinforce this message. 

The landscape used in this painting is clearly inspired from the Alps. The steep hills, the mountains in the background, the river running diagonally across the painting and ending in the distance. In fact, were it not for the cows that have no bell hanging from their neck, it would remind us of Switzerland through which the artist surely passed when returning from Italy.

It is a painting that tells much about the narrative genius of Bruegel in days when only the lucky few could travel and visit distant lands.

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