Landscape with a cow drinking

Landscape with a cow drinking is a remarkable print created by the master Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn around 1650. Executed on paper, this small-scale work exemplifies the high technical quality and atmospheric realism Rijn brought to the printmaking medium during the height of the Dutch Golden Age. While known primarily for his dramatic oil paintings, Rijn was an exceptionally prolific printmaker, producing nearly 300 etchings and drypoints in his lifetime. This particular composition focuses on the pastoral environment rather than religious or mythological subjects, reflecting a burgeoning interest in naturalistic landscape studies common in 17th-century Holland.

The subject matter is deceptively simple: a solitary cow bending its head to drink from a stream or pond, situated within a broad, rural view. Rijn utilizes subtle shifts in light and shadow to define the contours of the landscape, employing delicate lines characteristic of his mature graphic style to render the textures of the foliage and the placid water. Though only dated to 1650, the piece demonstrates Rijn’s continued experimentation with the etching process, mastering the ability to evoke deep space and atmospheric effects even in a monochrome print.

Such observational prints were often sought after by collectors, and the high-quality impressions of the period solidified Rijn’s reputation internationally as a master printmaker. This specific work is part of the extensive collection of the Rijksmuseum, which holds a comprehensive overview of the artist’s graphic works. Due to its age and historical importance, high-resolution reproductions of works like Landscape with a cow drinking are often available within the public domain, allowing art enthusiasts globally to study these masterful 17th-century prints.