Weiland met koe en schapen 1761 - 1784

Johannes Janson made this pastoral etching depicting a cow and sheep in the Dutch countryside sometime in the 18th century. The etching process is crucial to understanding the image. Janson would have covered a copper plate with wax, then drawn through the wax with a needle to expose the metal. The plate was then submerged in acid, which bit into the exposed lines, creating grooves. Ink was applied to these grooves, and the plate was pressed onto paper. The resulting print emphasizes line, capturing the textures of the animals’ wool and the rough-hewn fence. This technique allowed for multiples. Prints like this would have been circulated widely, reflecting the growing interest in agrarian life and the economic importance of livestock in the Dutch Golden Age. By focusing on this, Janson elevated the status of rural labor, intertwining art with the everyday realities of 18th-century life.