Landschap met drie koeien 1780 - 1851

Pieter Janson made this etching of a landscape with three cows in the Netherlands, sometime between the late 18th and mid-19th century. Images like this one, of grazing farm animals, were common in Dutch art. Cows represented the country’s economic prosperity, and so artists often focused on them. We might ask: in whose interest was it to promote this image of prosperity? The Dutch Republic was dominated by wealthy merchants, and so these landscapes arguably served their economic interests. We know that during this time, there was a booming art market controlled by dealers and auction houses. The art market catered to this specific urban elite who wanted idyllic landscape scenes. To understand this, we can look at the records from the Guild of Saint Luke, the artists’ professional association, along with trade statistics and auction catalogues. Through historical investigation, we can see how this seemingly innocent image of cows in a field played a part in constructing a specific vision of Dutch society.