Rustende koe bij een hek 1657

Marcus de Bye created this etching, "Resting Cow by a Fence," in the Netherlands, sometime in the mid-17th century. At this time, the Dutch Republic experienced an economic boom known as the Golden Age. The landscape became a central subject in Dutch art, reflecting the nation's pride in its cultivated land and agricultural prosperity. De Bye's etching exemplifies this trend, celebrating the rural landscape and its livestock. Although seemingly simple, images of cows held symbolic weight. They represented prosperity and national identity for the Dutch. The detailed rendering of the cow and the rustic fence suggests an idealised vision of rural life, one that contrasts with the bustling urban centres that were also emerging at this time. By examining the artist's other works, as well as agricultural records and period literature, we can better understand the social and economic values that informed De Bye's vision of the Dutch countryside.