Artwork
Cows in a soggy meadow
Cows in a soggy meadow is an oil painting by the Barbizon school artist Willem Maris. It dates from 1860 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Willem Maris's painting depicts a herd of cows grazing within a wetland pasture, characterized by soggy ground and specular reflections on the water's surface.
Willem Maris's painting depicts a herd of cows grazing within a wetland pasture, characterized by soggy ground and specular reflections on the water's surface. The composition focuses on animal art and landscape elements, featuring grass, plants, and clouds under an open sky. While the specific iconographic program is not detailed in the provided records, the work represents the naturalistic observation of rural life typical of the artist's genre.
The scene captures the interaction between the livestock and their marshy environment, emphasizing the atmospheric conditions of the wetland setting. The subject matter centers on the peaceful activity of the herd in their natural habitat, blending the themes of animal portraiture with the broader landscape tradition.
Technique & Style
Cows in a soggy meadow is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support combination for late nineteenth-century Dutch landscape painting. The horizontal format, measuring approximately 48.5 by 100 centimeters, accommodates a broad, panoramic treatment of the soggy meadow motif characteristic of Willem Maris's pastoral compositions. The depicted elements, grazing cattle, pasture, wetland, specular reflections on water, sky, and cloud, suggest a painterly handling focused on atmospheric moisture and reflective surfaces, consistent with the Hague School tradition of tonal landscape work. The painting is held in the Rijksmuseum collection.
History & Provenance
Cows in a soggy meadow is an oil painting by Willem Maris dated to 1900. The work was held in the collection of Maria Catharina barones van Pallandt and is now part of the Rijksmuseum collection, where it is held on canvas measuring 48.5 by 100 centimeters. No commission details or earlier ownership stages are documented in the available sources.
Cows in a soggy meadow by Willem Maris is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. According to the Wikidata record, the painting was previously owned by Maria Catharina barones van Pallandt before entering the museum's holdings. The work, executed in oil on canvas, measures 48.5 cm in height by 100 cm in width.
No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and the provided documentation does not detail an exhibition history for the painting.
Overview
Cows in a soggy meadow is an oil painting that presents a tranquil rural scene. The foreground features waterlogged ground where several cows, varying in color, stand or graze. A soft, pale sky with faint birds stretches above a distant, hazy horizon.
The artist employed loose brushwork to capture the natural light and unrefined aspects of country life, resulting in a somewhat blurred, spontaneous effect.
Artist & collection
