Cow and goat lying down

Art Historical Context

This etching and engraving, titled *Cow and Goat Lying Down*, captures a tranquil pastoral scene of resting livestock. Created between 1800 and 1801 by Adam von Bartsch after an original design by Johann Heinrich Roos, work exemplifies the reproductive print tradition that flourished in Europe during the late 18th and early 19th centuries Bartsch, a skilled Austrian printmaker and renowned cataloguer of graphic art, translated Roos’s 17th-century animal studies into a detailed print that preserves the original’s naturalistic charm while showcasing the precision possible in etching and engraving. The medium—executed in the third and final state—highlights the artists’ command of line and texture, allowing fine gradations that bring out the soft contours of the animals’ bodies and the subtle landscape setting. Roos was celebrated for his lively depictions of domestic animals, often set in idyllic countryside environments, and Bartsch’s version extends that legacy to a wider audience through print. Now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection through the 1923 gift of Junius S. Morgan, the print offers viewers a window into the enduring appeal of animal subjects in European art and the collaborative nature of print production across centuries.

About the Artist

Johann Heinrich Roos|Adam von Bartsch · 1631–1685

Comment on works: Landscapes; Animals; Portraits