Artwork
The Rabbit Warren (“Spring Landscape with Donkeys and Goats”)
The Rabbit Warren (“Spring Landscape with Donkeys and Goats”) is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Paulus Potter. It dates from 1647 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition represents a straightforward observation of pastoral life and animal husbandry in the Dutch Golden Age.
The work depicts a spring landscape populated by donkeys and goats, set against a backdrop featuring a pollard willow. As a landscape painting by Paulus Potter, the subject matter focuses on rural animals within a natural environment rather than a narrative scene or allegorical figure. The title "The Rabbit Warren" suggests the presence of rabbit habitats within the terrain, though the visual emphasis remains on the larger livestock and the specific tree form. The composition represents a straightforward observation of pastoral life and animal husbandry in the Dutch Golden Age.
Technique & Style
The Rabbit Warren (“Spring Landscape with Donkeys and Goats”) is an oil painting dated 1647. As a landscape work, it follows the Dutch tradition of rendering pastoral scenes, featuring donkeys and a pollard willow set against a gentle sky. The medium is oil paint, and the composition emphasizes naturalistic detail typical of Paulus Potter’s mid‑seventeenth‑century practice. Its dimensions are about 39.37 cm high and 36.2 cm wide. It is classified as a painting.
History & Provenance
Paulus Potter’s The Rabbit Warren (“Spring Landscape with Donkeys and Goats”) is dated 1647, which is also the year of its creation.
The painting entered the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, through the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection. It was later transferred to the Yale University Art Gallery, where it is currently held.
The painting is held by the Yale University Art Gallery as part of the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection. Its accession number is not specified in the cited sources.
The work has been exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it was part of the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection before being transferred to Yale University Art Gallery.
Overview
The Rabbit Warren (“Spring Landscape with Donkeys and Goats”) is a 1647 oil painting by Paulus Potter, a Dutch artist known for his animal landscapes.
Artist & collection
Artist
Paulus Potter (Dutch pronunciation:; 20 November 1625 (baptised) – 17 January 1654 (buried)) was a Dutch painter who specialized in landscapes featuring animals, often from a low vantage point.
