Artwork
Animalia: Two Goats
Animalia: Two Goats is a print by the Baroque artist Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem. It dates from 1659 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Nicolaes Berchem’s 1659 print *Animalia: Two Goats* presents a quiet rural scene in which a standing goat and a reclining companion occupy a modest landscape of grass and stone. Rendered in the Baroque tradition, the work emphasizes subtle contrasts of light and shadow, while the animals’ shaggy coats and curved horns are rendered with careful attention to texture.
Subject & Meaning
The composition focuses solely on the two goats, evoking a simple pastoral tranquility without overt narrative. By isolating the animals within a natural setting, Berchem underscores the everyday beauty of rural life, a theme common among Dutch artists who celebrated the modest, agrarian world of the Republic.
Technique & Style
Executed as a print, the image employs chiaroscuro to model the goats’ forms against the muted background. Berchem’s handling of line and wash creates a sense of depth, while the varied tonal range captures the roughness of fur and the solidity of the surrounding rocks, reflecting the detailed realism typical of Baroque printmaking.
History & Provenance
Berchem, a second‑generation Dutch Italianate landscape painter, produced this work during a prolific period when he combined classical motifs with Dutch countryside subjects. The print forms part of his broader oeuvre that includes allegorical and genre scenes, illustrating his versatility beyond the large‑scale oil landscapes for which he is best known.
Context
The piece aligns with the Dutch Golden Age’s fascination with pastoral imagery, drawing on Italianate influences that favored idealized rural vistas. While Berchem often incorporated ruins or mythological figures, this work strips the setting to its essentials, reflecting a shift toward a more direct observation of nature.
Legacy
*Animalia: Two Goats* exemplifies Berchem’s skill in translating his landscape sensibility to the medium of print, contributing to the dissemination of his style across Europe. The work continues to be referenced as a clear illustration of Dutch Baroque attention to natural detail and the period’s appreciation of humble, everyday subjects.
Own this work as a print
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…
