Rijksmuseum

A Cow in a Shed

Date

c. 1640

Medium

deck paint, prepared paper, ink

Culture

Amsterdam

Institution

Rijksmuseum

This cow eating hay is effectively framed by the wall and roof of the shed and the wheelbarrow in the foreground. A 1656 inventory of Rembrandt’s possessions specifically mentions that he drew animals from life. Is this also the case for this stylized composition? The presence of the peasant at left, who looks straight out at the draughtsman, in fact suggests this.

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