Four Cows 

Claude Lorrain sketched "Four Cows" using red chalk on paper, sometime in the 17th century. Lorrain’s choice of red chalk, also known as sanguine, lends a warmth and immediacy to the study. The soft, crumbly nature of the chalk allows for subtle gradations of tone, capturing the rounded forms of the animals and their varied poses, some standing, some resting, and one head-on view. Lorrain likely employed a technique called "hatching," building up areas of shadow with closely spaced parallel lines. This method allowed him to define the contours of the cows and suggest the play of light across their bodies. The relative ease with which one could produce sketches like this belies the economic importance of cattle and the dairy industry in the 17th century. Drawings like these served as vital references for larger compositions. They underscore the intimate connection between the artist's hand, the natural world, and the economic realities of the time.