Staande koe 1659 - 1709

This etching of a standing cow was made by an anonymous artist, and is now located in the Rijksmuseum. The image presents us with a rural scene, likely intended to reflect the agrarian ideals that were very romanticized at the time. What does it mean to foreground the animal? Why not people or the landscape? Notice the artist’s attention to the details of the animal’s body. We can almost feel the texture of its coarse hair and the weight of its form. This cow is a figure of labor, of sustenance, and perhaps even of wealth. But it's also an object of the gaze, an emblem of a society deeply enmeshed in its relationship with the natural world. It serves as a reminder of the complex intersections of culture, economy, and environment that shape our understanding of identity and place.