Staande en liggende koe - Cornelis van Noorde

A detailed etching by Cornelis van Noorde featuring two cows in a pastoral setting, demonstrating the artist's skill in line work and animal anatomy.

This etching by Cornelis van Noorde depicts two cows in a pastoral setting: one standing and one resting upon the ground. The work reflects the enduring interest in rural life and animal studies that characterised Dutch printmaking during the eighteenth century. Van Noorde employs a precise etching technique, using varied line weights to define the texture of the animals' hides and the surrounding foliage.

The composition is balanced, with the standing cow providing a vertical anchor against the horizontal form of the recumbent animal. A gnarled tree on the left adds depth to the scene, while the distant, lightly sketched figures of other cattle suggest a wider field beyond the immediate foreground. The artist focuses on anatomical accuracy and the quiet observation of livestock, a subject that remained popular among collectors and artists alike throughout the period.

Van Noorde, active in Haarlem, was known for his versatility as a draughtsman and printmaker. His approach here is restrained, prioritising clarity of form over dramatic effect. The hatching used to create the sky and the grassy terrain demonstrates a controlled hand, typical of the period's graphic arts. This print offers a glimpse into the quiet, agrarian subjects that occupied the Dutch artistic imagination, far removed from the urban centres of the time. It is a study of form and light, captured through the medium of the copper plate, and remains a fine example of the technical proficiency expected of a printmaker in the late eighteenth century.