Hert 1840 - 1880

Johannes Tavenraat made this sketch of a deer with pen in the 19th-century Netherlands. The Netherlands has a unique history and artistic culture, as it had been the first country to legalize capitalism in the 17th century. Although depictions of animals were popular at the time, their meaning can shift over time and with social context. Perhaps Tavenraat was trying to portray something about the freedom of nature or perhaps the place of animals within a changing society. To understand Tavenraat's intentions fully, we would need to consider the prevailing social and economic conditions of the Netherlands at the time. The Rijksmuseum's archives, along with historical societies focused on Dutch art, would provide valuable resources to delve deeper into the relationship between this drawing and its world.