Two lying goats 

Curator: I’m struck by the texture here. The way the artist captures the coarse wool of these goats with such simple strokes. Editor: I find it remarkably serene. They're just… goats. Untroubled. And the muted palette adds to that feeling of pastoral quiet. This drawing is attributed to Friedrich Wilhelm Hirt. The Städel Museum tells us he probably made this sketch with pen, ink and graphite. Curator: Indeed, and considering those humble materials, the artist has conjured not just realistic forms but a whole tactile experience. I wonder about the specific kind of ink used. Was it iron gall, common at the time? The paper's aging suggests certain acidity... I find it fascinating to consider how choices in the making affect longevity and how future viewers experience an artwork. Editor: You are right about it raising the question about artistic intentions. While it may be purely documentary, to simply record these animals, isn't there a social dimension at play? Think of 18th-century European society: increasingly fascinated with the pastoral, with representations of rural life. It makes you think about courtly diversions, or commissioned pastoral scenes for wealthy patrons. What kind of audience did Hirt imagine for his drawing? Curator: Well, perhaps the audience wasn't necessarily the wealthy patron. These drawings were often used as models or studies. The image as commodity... how prints were produced from sketches, and the economics surrounding the mass distribution of images in 18th century Europe. Editor: Right, not just the elite gazing upon idyllic landscapes, but a burgeoning middle class with access to affordable art. And the imagery shaped their understanding of nature, rurality, the "good life," whether accurately reflected or not. Curator: It is amazing how a seemingly simple sketch encourages consideration about these kinds of social dynamics. The way this image might have been consumed. Editor: It really is! It reminds us how even depictions of mundane subjects, such as livestock, can illuminate broader trends and anxieties within their historical moment. Foodways and their relation to animals may have even been hinted. Curator: A worthy meditation then, inspired by recumbent caprines.