Vier studies van liggende koeien 1778 - 1839

Curator: Here we have Hendrik Voogd’s "Four Studies of Reclining Cows," created sometime between 1778 and 1839. The medium is pencil on paper. It is now part of the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: It’s… strangely calming. They seem so content, almost stoic. It makes me think about the pastoral tradition and how idealized the countryside was becoming. Curator: You’ve hit on something key. Voogd, though Dutch, spent a significant portion of his career in Italy, absorbing and reinterpreting classical artistic ideals. These studies exemplify a kind of idealized rural life—simplified, peaceful, harmonious. The cow, in that sense, takes on a symbolic weight. It becomes more than just a farm animal. Editor: More than a milk producer. So, were cows an established symbol of anything specific at this time, or was Voogd crafting something new? I am so curious if it means something more. Curator: Cows were linked with fertility and abundance, especially in Dutch Golden Age painting. In a broader sense, agricultural prosperity often symbolized national strength. Here, the academic realism blends into pastoral imagery. Voogd presents the Dutch perception of cattle as an image of pastoral and national wellbeing. Editor: The poses of the cows too feel considered. Not particularly active or energetic. A symbol for quiet comfort. There’s a kind of gentleness about them, despite their size and horns. Even the artistic method -- simple pencil strokes on paper. Curator: A point worth emphasizing, and well captured! The technique reinforces that sense of tranquility. Think about how often the Dutch landscape was celebrated through images like this during periods of both great wealth and political change. It acted as a form of stability. It shows a continued symbolic anchor even during a time of significant historical and societal shifts. Editor: Looking at the symbolism through history—cows as the ever-present anchor through shifting values, societal restructuring… Thank you, it has added so many interpretive layers. Curator: Precisely! It makes you ponder how enduring images subtly reinforce certain cultural narratives over time. A gentle yet insistent kind of message embedded in art.