Children and a Cow
1635–39
Medium
Oil on wood
Dimensions
17 1/4 x 21 1/2 in. (43.8 x 54.6 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Mariana Griswold Van Rensselaer, in memory of her father, George Griswold, 1934
Accession Number
34.83.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Aelbert Cuyp painted *Children and a Cow* early in his career, between 1635 and 1639, when the Dutch artist was still in his teens. Executed in oil on a modest wood panel, the work captures a tranquil pastoral moment featuring children alongside cows, sheep, and dogs. Such intimate rural scenes were popular in the Dutch Republic, reflecting a growing appreciation for the countryside and everyday life during the Golden Age. Cuyp would later become celebrated for his luminous landscapes bathed in golden light, yet this youthful panel already hints at his interest in harmonious compositions of f...
About the Artist
Aelbert Cuyp · 1620–1691
Aelbert Cuyp (1620–1691), a leading figure of the Dutch Golden Age, was born and died in Dordrecht, Netherlands, where he spent his entire life. The son of portraitist and animal painter Jacob Gerritsz Cuyp (1594–1652), Aelbert came from a family of artists—his uncle Benjamin Gerritsz Cuyp and grandfather Gerrit Gerritsz Cuyp were stained-glass designers—and studied under his father, with whom he ...