Paulus Potter

Dutch, 1625-1654

Cattle, ca. 1650

etching

image area: 3 7/8 x 5 3/8 inches (9.84 x 13.65 cm); sheet: 4 3/4 x 6 1/4 inches (12.07 x 15.87 cm); overall: 19 1/4 x 14 1/4 inches (48.89 x 36.19 cm)

Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

Gift of Willis O. Chapin, 1891

1891:4.172

More Details

Class

Prints

Work Type

Etching (print)

Information may change due to ongoing research.Glossary of Terms

Despite the short length of his career, Paulus Potter greatly influenced the ways in which animals were depicted in art throughout Europe. Rather than serving as the backdrop for human interaction, animals take center stage in Potter’s work. To gather inspiration for his compositions, he often wandered the Dutch countryside and sketched the numerous creatures he encountered on farms. Cattle were one of Potter’s favorite subjects. He sought to capture the animals’ different behaviors at varying times of day and to harness the fluctuating atmospheric light.

Label from Menagerie: Animals on View, March 11–June 4, 2017