Ontwerp voor een penning met ploegende paarden 1876 - 1947

Lambertus Zijl made this plaster design for a medal with ploughing horses. Imagine him, carefully layering the plaster, building up the forms bit by bit to capture the muscular tension of the horses and the rough texture of the earth. You can almost feel the artist’s hand coaxing these figures out of the material, his fingerprints fossilized in the surface. The design isn't just about depicting horses; it's about the weight of labour, the pull of the earth, and the intimate connection between humans, animals, and land. I think of Rodin, how he modelled flesh. Zijl is also part of a longer conversation about how we represent work, nature, and the dignity of labour. Isn’t it nice to think that artists are always in dialogue, borrowing, and building upon each other's ideas? It’s a reminder that art isn't made in a vacuum, it’s a collaborative, messy, and beautiful human endeavor.