Twee bokken en een liggend schaap 1666 - 1726

This small, delicate, and undated etching of sheep and goats is held in the Rijksmuseum, in Amsterdam. In the absence of the artist’s name, we have to assume that it was made either as a study or for reproduction in a book of rural imagery. Such images of rural life gained a lot of traction with the wealthy merchant classes of Holland’s cities. They became a shorthand way to express political or cultural allegiance. The depiction of farm animals also served as a kind of moralizing emblem of the virtues of simple, rural existence. It served to create a strong sense of national identity rooted in the land. For the historian, the absence of a name can actually be a fruitful avenue to explore. It begs questions about the status of the artist and the market for cheap reproducible images. Understanding the social forces behind this picture’s creation requires us to look into the institutional context that made its production possible.