Runderkop 1780 - 1855

Jan Dasveldt captured this ‘Runderkop,’ or bull’s head, in a small, intimate drawing sometime in the late 18th to mid-19th century. Dasveldt, working during a time of significant agricultural change and expanding urban centers in the Netherlands, presents us with more than just a portrait of livestock. The bull, throughout history, has been a potent symbol. Often representing strength, fertility, and virility, but here the focus is on the face. There’s a certain vulnerability in the bull’s eye, a softness that counters its otherwise imposing features. Perhaps Dasveldt is inviting us to reconsider our relationship with these animals, moving beyond mere utility. Dasveldt’s bull exists within a long lineage of animal portraiture, yet he eschews the formal, often romanticized depictions, instead opting for a more immediate, almost confrontational representation. What does it mean to truly see this animal, not as a resource, but as an individual?