Landschap met vee 1787

Johannes Jelgerhuis created this landscape with livestock using pen and brush with gray ink. Note the presence of livestock, and a human figure engaged in agricultural labor. The cow, in particular, carries a rich symbolic weight. Across cultures, the cow is a symbol of fertility, nourishment, and maternal care, harking back to ancient goddesses. Its association with sustenance links it to themes of provision and abundance, seen in ancient Egyptian art where cows were depicted as divine wet nurses. In other cultures, the cow can represent patience and docility. Consider how these qualities are reflected in the visual rendering of the animal here— its gentle gaze, its placid stance. The cycle of life and death is not linear but a spiral, and these symbols are continuously reinterpreted through cultural lenses, thus highlighting the power of cultural memory.