Staande en liggende geit met twee jongen c. 1668 - 1670

This etching of goats comes to us from the 17th century and the hand of Johann Heinrich Roos. At the time, artists were traveling the Italian countryside, and this etching participates in that tradition. Roos’s depiction of this goat family engages with long-standing conventions of pastoral art, a genre often used to evoke an idealized vision of nature and rural life. But it also subtly challenges the traditional hierarchy of artistic subjects. Where history painting was seen as superior, Roos elevates this domestic scene with care, offering a glimpse into the everyday lives of animals. There is a quiet intimacy here: the standing goat seems watchful, while the reclining one and her kids huddle together. We get a sense of tenderness, a feeling that transcends species. Roos asks us to consider the emotional lives of these creatures, while pondering our relationship to the natural world.