Flock of Goats

Art Historical Context

This delicate print, *Flock of Goats*, captures a quiet pastoral scene originally conceived by Dutch artist Simon van der Does in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century. Published in 1786 by Cornelis Ploos van Amstel and expertly printed by Cornelis Brouwer, the work reflects the eighteenth-century Dutch enthusiasm for reproducing earlier Golden Age drawings so they could reach wider audiences. The image shows a small herd of goats gathered in a rustic setting, rendered with a softness that evokes the gentle movement of the animals and the texture of their coats. The print employs chalk manner and aquatint techniques, printed in black ink on laid paper. These methods allowed Brouwer to mimic the grainy, velvety qualities of chalk drawings while achieving subtle tonal gradations, giving the scene a lively yet intimate feel. Measuring just under six inches square, the work demonstrates how such reproductive prints preserved the spirit of earlier masters while showcasing the technical ingenuity of eighteenth-century Dutch printmaking. Today housed in the National Gallery of Art as a gift from Sherwood B. Smith, Jr., this sheet offers visitors a glimpse into the collaborative world of print publishing that helped spread appreciation for Dutch landscape and animal subjects across Europe.