Artwork
Die kranke Ziege
Die kranke Ziege is a color painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Karel Dujardin. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1650, *Die kranke Ziege* is an oil painting by Dutch artist Karel Dujardin. Executed in the style of the Dutch Golden Age, the work presents a modestly sized genre scene set within a landscape. It is part of the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a man in a brown fur coat observing a kneeling woman dressed in red with a white headscarf. A second woman in black stands nearby, while a goat and a white bird occupy the foreground. The somber atmosphere and the presence of the ailing goat suggest themes of illness, care, and rural hardship.
Technique & Style
Dujardin employs chiaroscuro to model the figures, using contrasts of light and shadow to give them a three‑dimensional presence. The palette is restrained, dominated by muted earth tones, and the background features a distant mountain range beneath a cloudy sky, reinforcing the painting’s subdued mood.
History & Provenance
After its creation in the mid‑17th century, the painting entered various private collections before being acquired by the Alte Pinakothek, where it remains on display. Dujardin’s career included extended periods in Italy, which informed the Italianate qualities of his landscapes.
Context
*Die kranke Ziege* reflects Dujardin’s typical focus on pastoral and genre subjects, merging Dutch realism with the idealised scenery he encountered during his Italian sojourns. The work exemplifies the cross‑cultural influences that characterised many Dutch Golden Age painters who traveled abroad.
Artist & collection
Artist
Karel Dujardin (September 27, 1626 – November 20, 1678) was a Dutch Golden Age painter.
The Hunter and a Woman
The Poultry Seller
Young Couple in Shepherd's Costumes
Halt zweier Reiter
Bagpiper
The Meeting of Jacob and Rachel at the Well
Sleeping girl
Soldier Offering a Woman a Glass of Wine
Abendlandschaft mit Schafen, Ziegen und Hirtin
Peasant returning from the market
Return of the Prodigal Son
Bildnis von drei Kindern in einer Landschaft mit Jagdbeute