Like many neoclassical landscape painters, Bertin was apprenticed to Pierre Henri de Valenciennes and exhibited at the Salon from 1793. He produced a large number of works and it can be difficult to distinguish paintings by his hand from those produced by his workshop.

Several versions of our painting exist. Each includes variants, but they are all animated by a scene that is usually anecdotal. They correspond to the spirit in which the painter created his paintings: Sketching landscapes from nature, according to the principles of his master Valenciennes, these were then brought back to his studio to be continued by his pupils. It was at this stage that the painting was enhanced with figures and reproduced according to the type of commissions he had received. A work of his mature period painted on a fine canvas, it should be noted that BERTIN rarely used oil on paper, a traditional support, even for works made outdoors.