Drinkende koe aan het water 1814

Diederik Jan Singendonck created this etching, titled *Drinkende koe aan het water*, at an unknown date. Singendonck was part of a generation of Dutch artists navigating a shifting landscape of agricultural practices and land use. This work captures a singular moment in the life of a cow, an animal whose life is deeply interwoven with human society. Consider the cow's gaze, the way it seems to meet our own. Does it evoke empathy, curiosity, or perhaps a sense of our shared existence? What does it mean to depict this animal with such care, in a moment of such simple, elemental need? This artwork may appear simple, but it invites us to contemplate our relationship with the natural world and the animals that sustain us. The cow, in its quiet act of drinking, becomes a focal point for broader reflections on life, labor, and the complex dynamics between humans and animals.