Two Cows and a Sheep, from Different Animals
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
plate: 4 7/16 x 5 5/16 in. (11.3 x 13.5 cm) sheet: 4 13/16 x 5 9/16 in. (12.2 x 14.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.577.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
Adriaen van de Vel, a leading Dutch Golden Age artist (1636–1672), captures the serene beauty of rural life in *Two Cows and a*, an etching from his series *Different Animals*. Known for his masterful depictions of landscapes and livestock, van de Velde brought a poetic realism to animal subjects, blending meticulous observation with soft, atmospheric light. This intimate print, with its modest plate size of just 4 7/16 x 5 5/16 inches, showcases gentle creatures in a pastoral tableau, evoking the fertile Dutch countryside of the 17th century. Etching allowed van de Velde to achieve fine, exp...
About the Artist
Adriaen van de Velde · 1636–1672
Adriaen van de Velde (1636–1672) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, draftsman, and etcher renowned for his luminous pastoral landscapes and his extraordinary versatility. Born in Amsterdam, he was the son of the marine painter Willem van de Velde the Elder and brother of the marine painter Willem van de Velde the Younger. He studied under Jan Wijnants, a landscape specialist, and possibly under Phili...