Grazing Cow
1650
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1982.15.4
Art Historical Context
Paulus Potter's *Grazing Cow* (1650) captures the serene beauty of the Dutch countryside during the Golden Age, a period when artists celebrated everyday rural life amid Holland's prosperity. Potter, master of animal painting who died young at 29, specialized in lifelike depictions of livestock, blending meticulous observation with dramatic lighting to evoke the quiet majesty of nature. This etching showcases his skill in portraying a single cow grazing peacefully, likely set against a vast landscape that emphasizes harmony between beast and environment. As an etching—a printmaking technique ...
About the Artist
Paulus Potter · 1625–1654
Paulus Potter (1625–1654) was a Dutch Golden Age painter whose short life — he died at just twenty-eight years of age — belied an artistic achievement of remarkable originality and influence. Born in Enkhuizen in 1625, Potter trained under his father, the painter Pieter Potter, and later in Amsterdam and Delft, where he absorbed the technical standards of the flourishing Dutch painting tradition. ...