Artwork
Boat at a River Bank with Three Goats
Boat at a River Bank with Three Goats is an ink print by the Baroque artist Allart van Everdingen. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1650 by Dutch artist Allart van Everdingen, this small print is an etching that captures a quiet riverside scene. The composition centers on a capsized boat occupied by three goats, while a modest thatched house and a few figures stand on the bank. Rocky terrain, scattered vegetation and a lightly clouded sky frame the tableau, giving it a calm yet slightly whimsical atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The image juxtaposes everyday rural life with an unexpected element: goats standing in a overturned boat. The presence of the modest dwelling and human figures suggests a domestic setting, while the goats introduce a note of humor or allegory, perhaps commenting on the unpredictability of nature or the coexistence of human and animal worlds along the river.
Technique & Style
Everdingen employed the etching process, incising fine lines into a copper plate and then inking the recessed areas to produce the print.
Everdingen employed the etching process, incising fine lines into a copper plate and then inking the recessed areas to produce the print. The delicate line work renders the texture of water ripples, rock surfaces, and foliage with clarity. The overall handling of light and shadow, achieved through varied line density, reflects the typical precision and tonal subtlety characteristic of mid‑17th‑century Dutch printmaking.
History & Provenance
The print belongs to Everdingen’s oeuvre of etchings and mezzotints produced during his active period in the Dutch Golden Age. While specific ownership records are scarce, the work has been documented in several European print collections and appears in catalogues of Dutch graphic art, confirming its attribution and dating to the early 1650s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Allaert van Everdingen (Dutch pronunciation: ; bapt. 18 June 1621 – 8 November 1675 (buried)), was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker in etching and mezzotint.
