Peasants and Cattle by the River Merwede

Artist: Aelbert Cuyp (Dutch, 1620 - 1691)

Original Dimensions: 15" x 20"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (About 1658-60) "It is the animals which take centre stage in this picture. On a grassy riverside knoll, four cows and a magnificent jet black horse are spotlit by the warm afternoon sun. Aelbert Cuyp was a brilliant painter of these beasts, especially cattle. He knew exactly how to convey their languor and ponderous bearing, how the light would catch their heavy, rippling hides and the tufted fringes on the powerful ridgeline of their backs. He often repeated the same postures in his paintings. There are several reasons why cows feature so prominently in Cuyp’s pictures. The seventeenth century had seen increasing reclamation of grazing land, especially around Dordrecht, Cuyp’s home town; many of his clients would have had an interest in dairy farming or have owned land and property in the countryside near the city. The ruined castle on the horizon confirms the location – it is the castle of Merwede, about a mile to the east of Dordrecht." - (National Gallery of Art, London)