Artwork

Cows Being Driven across the Moor

Cows Being Driven across the Moor, by Unknown, 1902
Cows Being Driven across the Moor, by Unknown, 1902

Cows Being Driven across the Moor is a photography by Unknown. It dates from 1902 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

About this work

Overview

Cows Being Driven across the Moor, executed in 1902 by the artist identified as 250_person, is part of the collection of the Museum of Ethnography. The image captures a moment of pastoral labor, presenting a group of cows and their handlers moving across an expansive, open landscape.

Subject & Meaning

The composition depicts two figures guiding a herd of brown and white cattle through a broad field under a pale sky. The participants, each holding a staff, appear focused on the path ahead, suggesting routine agricultural activity and the relationship between humans and livestock in a rural setting.

Technique & Style

The work employs a pronounced impasto technique, with thick applications of paint that give the surface a tactile, brush‑stroked texture. This method creates a slightly blurred, dynamic quality, conveying the immediacy of the scene as if captured in a fleeting moment.

History & Provenance

Created at the turn of the twentieth century, the piece entered the Museum of Ethnography’s holdings at an unspecified date. Its provenance traces back to the artist’s original output in 1902, reflecting early modern interest in documenting everyday rural life.

Context

The early 1900s saw a growing interest among artists in portraying ordinary labor and landscape, often emphasizing the interplay of light and atmosphere. This work aligns with that trend, situating a commonplace agricultural task within a broader visual exploration of the natural environment.

Artist & collection

Artist

Unknown

entity whose identity is not known