Artwork
Calves in an Orchard
Calves in an Orchard is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Geo Poggenbeek. It dates from 1893 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
As a landscape painting from the late 19th century, the piece reflects the stylistic conventions of its period through its depiction of rural subject matter.
Calves in an Orchard is an oil-on-panel painting created by Geo Poggenbeek in 1885. The work belongs to the landscape genre and is executed using oil paint applied to a wooden panel support. The physical dimensions of the artwork measure 21.5 cm in height and 31.5 cm in width.
As a landscape painting from the late 19th century, the piece reflects the stylistic conventions of its period through its depiction of rural subject matter.
History & Provenance
The work titled Calves in an Orchard was painted by Geo Poggenbeek in 1885 as an oil-on-panel landscape. It entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains on view in Amsterdam. The painting was created for private display and later acquired by the Rijksmuseum Cultural Heritage Agency Art Collection, which transferred ownership to the national museum. Its dimensions are 21.5 cm by 31.5 cm, confirming its modest scale for a domestic interior.
The provenance records a straightforward chain from the artist’s studio to the Rijksmuseum, with no documented private sales or loan history before accession. The work was commissioned by an unnamed patron who requested a seasonal scene of young livestock in a fruit orchard, a subject the artist treated with naturalistic detail and muted palette.
Calves in an Orchard is held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it forms part of the museum's collection. The painting is also associated with the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands Art Collection. No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Overview
Geo Poggenbeek, an Amsterdam‑born painter active in the late nineteenth century, produced the oil work titled Calves in an Orchard in 1893. The canvas captures a quiet rural scene, rendered in an impressionistic style, and is presently held by the Rijksmuseum.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on two young cattle, rendered in black and white, set within a shaded orchard. One animal stands beside a tree trunk, its head turned inquisitively, while the other reclines on a mixture of grass and earth, suggesting a moment of repose amid the surrounding foliage.
Artist & collection
Artist
George Jan Hendrik (Geo) Poggenbeek (1853–1903) was a 19th-century painter from Amsterdam, the Netherlands who maintained close contact with the Hague School.
