Grazende koe 1796 - 1845

Anthony Oberman etched this image of a grazing cow, a humble subject, yet dense with historical and cultural echoes. The cow, seemingly simple, carries layers of meaning. Throughout history, the bovine form has been a potent symbol, from ancient Egypt's Hathor, a mother goddess embodied by a cow, to the sacrificial offerings in classical antiquity. Here, the cow evokes a sense of pastoral idyll, a longing for a simpler, agrarian life. Consider its presence in other artworks: perhaps a distant relative of Europa's bull, or an echo of the sacred cows of India. This image invites contemplation on the evolving relationship between humanity and nature, a theme that resurfaces across millennia, each time tinted with new cultural and emotional resonance.