Artwork
Watering the Cattle on a Winter's Day
Watering the Cattle on a Winter's Day is an unspecified painting by Johan Lundbye. It dates from 1848 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Johan Lundbye’s 1848 oil painting *Watering the Cattle on a Winter’s Day* portrays a quiet rural scene in Denmark’s Zealand region. The canvas captures a cold, muted landscape where a herd of cattle gathers near a partially frozen water source, set beneath a low, overcast sky. The work exemplifies Lundbye’s commitment to depicting everyday Danish countryside during the mid‑nineteenth century.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on domesticated cattle interacting with a winter environment, suggesting both the resilience of farm life and the tranquil rhythm of seasonal labor. By showing the animals drinking from an icy pond and resting among scattered logs, Lundbye emphasizes a harmonious coexistence between humans, livestock, and the harsh yet beautiful northern climate.
Technique & Style
Lundbye employs a restrained palette of browns, grays, and muted whites, allowing the chill of the scene to emerge through subtle tonal variations.
Lundbye employs a restrained palette of browns, grays, and muted whites, allowing the chill of the scene to emerge through subtle tonal variations. Loose brushwork renders the sky and distant trees, while finer detail defines the cattle’s forms and the texture of frost‑covered ground. The painting aligns with the national romantic aesthetic, favoring naturalistic observation over idealized dramatization.
History & Provenance
Created in 1848, the work reflects the influence of Niels Laurits Høyen’s call for artists to celebrate Danish rural life. Lundbye, known for his landscapes and animal studies, produced the piece during a period when national identity was increasingly expressed through depictions of local scenery. The painting remains in a public collection, continuing to illustrate the artist’s role in Denmark’s 19th‑century art narrative.
Artist & collection
Artist
Johan Thomas Lundbye (1 September 1818 – 25 April 1848) was a Danish painter and graphic artist, known for his animal and landscape paintings.
A Danish Coast. View from Kitnæs on Roskilde Fjord. Zealand
Cows being Watered at a Village Pond. Brofelde, Zealand
Evening Scene with Sheep on a Mound
Kalundborg Church
Landscape near Vejby seen from the North. Afternoon Light
Landscape in Cloudy Weather. Late Afternoon
The Goose Tower in Vordingborg, Zealand
Landscape near Tivoli, Italy
