Artwork
Cow Pissing
Cow Pissing is an ink print by the Baroque artist Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem. It dates from 1652 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem’s 1652 etching titled *Cow Pissing* presents a bucolic tableau in which a cow is captured mid‑urination within an open field, while a reclining figure lies nearby. The composition is set against a gently rolling landscape populated by trees and distant hills, reflecting the artist’s affinity for pastoral scenery typical of Dutch Golden Age printmaking.
Subject & Meaning
The image juxtaposes a naturalistic animal act with a human presence, suggesting a humorous or allegorical commentary on the relationship between humanity and the countryside. The cow’s direct gaze toward the viewer and the relaxed posture of the man invite contemplation of everyday rural life, a theme frequently explored by Berchem through genre scenes that blend realism with subtle narrative cues.
Technique & Style
Executed with bold, decisive lines, the etching employs cross‑hatching and varied shading to convey depth and texture across the figures and landscape. The rendering of the cow’s musculature and the surrounding foliage demonstrates Berchem’s meticulous attention to detail, aligning the work with the Baroque emphasis on realism, dynamic composition, and the play of light and shadow in print media.
History & Provenance
Created in 1652, the print belongs to the period when Berchem, a second‑generation Dutch Italianate landscape painter, was incorporating Italianate motifs into his Dutch scenes. While specific ownership records are scarce, the work is documented among Berchem’s printed oeuvre, illustrating his practice of extending his landscape painting style into the medium of etching for broader dissemination.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem (1 October 1620 – 18 February 1683) was a highly esteemed and prolific Dutch Golden Age painter of pastoral landscapes, populated with mythological or biblical figures, but also of a number of allegories and…
