Francesco Zuccarelli painted Landscape with Riders in the 18th century. Applying thin layers of paint the artist reproduced an idyllic pastoral view with groups of small figures. The foreground is taken up by a tall tree with its top cropped by the picture frame. Against the dark green plain background appears a horseman, leading a laden donkey. Farther off one can see another traveler riding on a donkey across the bridge.

Landscape with Riders is a typical example of Zuccarelli’s style. His landscapes are distinguished by idealized nature, balanced coloration, and excellent draughtsmanship in the depiction of figures. His initial ambition was to become a historical painter, but at some point, he tried his hand at landscape painting and realized that it was his true vocation. During his studies in Venice, Zuccarelli displayed preference for pastoral motifs that sentimentalized bucolic country life. Born in southern Tuscany, he spent many years of his life in Venice. For this reason, researchers tend to associate him with the Venetian school of painting. The latter was distinguished by its attention to rich, resonant colors and focus on coloristic tasks.

Instead of signing his works, Zuccarelli would often add a gourd to the scene, alluding to his surname which translates as “small gourd”.

Landscape with Riders was among the few canvases recovered from under the rubble in Grozny in the mid-1990s. For years, it remained in Moscow undergoing restoration at the Grabar Art Conservation Center before being moved to the State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSIZO. In 2014, it was returned to Grozny.