Paard en hond bij een hooiwagen

About this artwork

collector's mark: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

**Paard en hond bij hooiwagen** Jan Kobell (II), 1788–1814* Etching, 126 × 168 mm Step into the pastoral charm of late 18th-century Dutch countryside with Jan Kobell II's delicate etching *Paard en hond bij hooiwagen* ("Horse and Dog near a Hay Wagon"). Created during the artist's short but prolific career (1779–1814), this intimate scene captures a horse and loyal dog beside a rustic hay wagon, evoking everyday rhythms of rural life. Kobell, from a distinguished family of Dutch artists, specialized in animal subjects, blending keen observation with a nod to the realist traditions of the Dutch Golden Age masters like Paulus Potter. Rendered in etching—a precise intaglio technique where acid bites into a copper plate to create fine, expressive lines—this small-scale work (just 12.6 × 16.8 cm) showcases Kobell's mastery of texture and light. The medium allowed for detailed fur, wooden grains, and atmospheric depth, making it ideal for reproducing vivid vignettes affordable to collectors. Bearing the collector's mark Lugt 2228 (verso), this piece boasts a rich provenance, linking it to esteemed 19th- or early 20th-century connoisseurs. It exemplifies the enduring appeal of Dutch genre scenes, inviting us to pause and appreciate the quiet nobility of working animals in an era of agricultural heritage. (198 words)