1650
ink
From the collection of Rijksmuseum
Two Buffaloes and a Herdsman is a 1650 ink by Pieter van Laer, a Renaissance work, depicting Cattle, held at Rijksmuseum.
This etching shows two thick-hided buffaloes standing side by side with a man in a loose shirt behind them. He holds a rope but doesn’t pull; the animals stand calm. Van Laer grew up in Haarlem where cattle fairs were common. He used etching and drypoint—scratching lines into metal plates—to create rich, velvety shadows around the animals. The drypoint dots catch the light like fur. Look at the way he lets blank paper breathe around the buffaloes. It feels like a quiet moment caught on paper.
Pieter Bodding van Laer (christened 14 December 1599, in Haarlem – 1641 or later) was a Dutch painter and printmaker.
See the richer artist page
