Twee koeien bij een boom 1670 - 1720

Curator: It has a strangely calm feeling, doesn't it? A very ordinary calm. Editor: It does, in fact. And that captures something quintessentially Dutch, wouldn’t you agree? What you're looking at is an engraving of two cows near a tree, likely from sometime between 1670 and 1720. The piece is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection, though its creator is anonymous. Curator: Anonymous, yes, though I can almost smell the cows just by looking. There's something almost touchable about that heavy beast resting in the grass. They really nailed that feeling of a hot afternoon, just idling away. The engraving captures a lot of what realism aims to offer, but something symbolic too. Editor: Indeed. The cows themselves can be read in myriad ways. Think about the era—Dutch Golden Age. Cows equal prosperity. They represent a sort of grounded abundance, the source of milk, butter, cheese—sustenance, obviously, but also a visual shorthand for national well-being. Their placement by the tree? A subtle echo of pastoral ideals and connection to the earth. It has connotations of biblical imagery and pre-Christian tree-of-life venerations. Curator: I never really thought of the political subtext behind it! But I can appreciate that reading; so a seemingly straightforward bucolic landscape gets transformed into something richer. You are right, the iconography goes much deeper once you start digging into it. I find it kind of charming. Editor: The appeal extends beyond that—consider the composition, the way the artist guides the viewer’s eye. It is skillfully done even in a piece where the focus appears deceptively casual. We carry so much baggage, personal and historical, and place it all when we view art. In a way, the real art comes from our interaction with the artist's creation. Curator: Well said. Next time I see a cow, I am definitely going to think a little harder about Golden Age prosperity and arboreal symbolism! Editor: Me too, me too. Every field suddenly looks ripe with potential narratives.