Artwork
Two Horses in a Meadow near a Gate
Two Horses in a Meadow near a Gate is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Paulus Potter. It dates from 1649 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
Paulus Potter executed Two Horses in a Meadow near a Gate in 1649 using oil paint applied to a panel support. The work measures 23.3 cm in height and 29.6 cm in width, classifying it within the genre of animal art. As an oil-on-panel painting from the mid-17th century, the piece reflects Potter's specialized handling of equine subjects within a meadow setting.
History & Provenance
Historical records indicate that the piece was owned by Adriaan van der Hoop, whose collection later became part of the holdings of the Amsterdam Museum.
Paulus Potter created the oil painting Two Horses in a Meadow near a Gate in 1649. The work was executed on a panel support and depicts an animal art scene measuring 23.3 cm in height and 29.6 cm in width. Historical records indicate that the piece was owned by Adriaan van der Hoop, whose collection later became part of the holdings of the Amsterdam Museum. The painting is currently held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Paulus Potter's painting Two Horses in a Meadow near a Gate is held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The work is part of the collection originally formed by Adriaan van der Hoop, which is now integrated into the Amsterdam Museum's holdings and displayed at the Rijksmuseum. The painting dates to 1649 and was created on a panel with dimensions of 23.3 cm in height and 29.6 cm in width.
The provided sources do not contain specific information regarding a unique inventory or accession number for this work, nor do they list any exhibition history.
Context
Paulus Potter painted Two Horses in a Meadow near a Gate in 1649, exemplifying his specialization in animal subjects within the Dutch Golden Age painting tradition. The work, executed in oil on panel, measures 23.3 cm by 29.6 cm and was originally owned by Adriaan van der Hoop, a noted Amsterdam collector. It is now held by both the Rijksmuseum and the Amsterdam Museum, reflecting its significance within Dutch animal art and 17th-century landscape and genre painting contexts.
Art historians study this painting to illustrate Potter's contribution to the development of animal painting as a distinct genre in the Netherlands, separate from mere decorative motifs. Its composition and naturalistic portrayal of equine anatomy have been cited in scholarship analyzing the influence of earlier Dutch masters on later artists, situating Potter within broader European artistic movements of the 1600s.
Legacy
Paulus Potter's 1649 painting Two Horses in a Meadow near a Gate exerted lasting influence on animal painting through its naturalistic treatment of domestic species. The work entered the Adriaan van der Hoop collection and is now held by both the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Museum, establishing a precedent for depicting animals within everyday landscapes. Its compositional approach informed later Dutch and German animal painters who adopted similar spatial arrangements and anatomical precision.
Overview
Created in 1649, Two Horses in a Meadow near a Gate is an oil painting by Dutch artist Paulus Potter. The work presents a tranquil rural scene in which two horses occupy a grassy field beside a modest wooden gate. The composition is rendered with a light, atmospheric sky and distant architectural hints, reflecting the artist’s focus on naturalistic animal studies.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas centers on a white horse with a dark mane, positioned near a tree, and a dark brown horse whose head leans over a simple fence. The pairing of the animals within an open meadow suggests a calm, everyday moment in the Dutch countryside, emphasizing the harmonious relationship between livestock and landscape.
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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.
