Lying Goat, from Die Zweite Thierfolge 1800

Johann Christian Reinhart created this etching titled 'Lying Goat, from Die Zweite Thierfolge' sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. Reinhart was a German painter and etcher who spent much of his career in Italy. During this time, Italy was seen as a place of great beauty. Think about how the rise of the middle class created a demand for landscape art that idealized nature. The image of a lying goat may seem simple, but it speaks to a larger narrative. Consider the role of animals in art and how they often stand in for human characteristics or emotions. This goat, with its quiet rest, might reflect a longing for peace, an escape from the human world, or the simple dignity of nature. How does this image evoke a sense of pastoral life, and how does it contrast with the rapidly industrializing world?