Geiten en bokken 1648 - 1733

This is a Dutch etching of goats and bucks, made by an anonymous artist. While we don't know for sure when it was made, the naturalistic style suggests that it was done in the 17th or 18th century, a period of increasing interest in the natural world. The print presents three studies of goats in different poses. In each, the goats are rendered with careful attention to their anatomical details and the texture of their fur. The artist shows a clear interest in representing the animals realistically, yet there's a sense of idealization, evoking a harmony between humans and the natural world. The rise of landscape painting and natural history illustration during this period was closely tied to the social and economic changes sweeping through the Netherlands, particularly the rise of a wealthy merchant class with a taste for the finer things. To understand it better, one might want to study Dutch Golden Age society, exploring topics like animal husbandry and the symbolic meanings that certain creatures acquired through folklore. The study of art history is inseparable from the study of social history.