Liggend rund, op de rug gezien c. 1657 - 1761

Editor: Here we have Marcus de Bye's etching, "Liggend rund, op de rug gezien," which roughly translates to "Recumbent Cow, Seen from the Back," created sometime between 1657 and 1761. The cow dominates the foreground, a landscape and moody sky behind. What stands out to me is the sheer size of the animal relative to its surroundings. What do you see in this piece? Curator: What I see is a deliberate commentary on land use and agricultural power dynamics within 17th-century Dutch society. The vast landscape dwarfed by the seemingly larger-than-life cow represents not just an idyllic pastoral scene, but also hints at the economic and social importance of livestock. This imagery promotes a type of agriculture which empowered farmers to cultivate private property. Editor: Interesting! So, you think there’s more to it than just a simple farm scene? Curator: Absolutely! The etching technique, combined with the subject matter, participates in a larger discourse on ownership and rural hierarchy. Consider the position of the cow. Why choose to depict it from the back, obscuring its face? Does it imply a certain passivity or perhaps underscore its value as a commodity rather than an individual? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn’t considered. Seeing the cow almost like a resource is a bit unsettling, given how common images of cows are today in agricultural contexts. Curator: Precisely! This piece pushes us to think critically about how agricultural production reflects socio-political structures, which may be very different from what modern viewers might perceive. Editor: I’ve never thought about Dutch landscapes this way. It’s fascinating how much context is embedded within what I considered just a serene image. Thanks for shedding new light on this piece. Curator: Indeed, the history of power leaves its traces in even the most unassuming landscapes. Hopefully, our conversation has opened new avenues of investigation.