Artwork
Early Morning on the Lakes
Early Morning on the Lakes is an oil painting by the Barbizon school artist Pieter Stortenbeker. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Early Morning on the Lakes, painted in 1865 by Dutch artist Pieter Stortenbeker, is an oil landscape now in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The work presents a tranquil lakeside scene where two cows stand amid reeds and tall grasses, rendered in a calm, natural atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on the two bovine figures, positioned in shallow water and surrounded by vegetation. Their stillness conveys a sense of peaceful coexistence with the environment, suggesting an appreciation of rural life and the quiet rhythms of the countryside.
Technique & Style
Stortenbeker employed oil paint to achieve layered depth and tactile surface, allowing brushstrokes to remain visible. A restrained palette of browns and greens dominates, reinforcing the muted, early‑morning light and emphasizing the natural textures of water, grass, and animal hide.
History & Provenance
Created in the mid‑19th century, the painting entered the Rijksmuseum’s holdings, where it remains on display. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s broader effort to represent Dutch landscape painting of the period.
Context
The work aligns with a tradition of Dutch artists who specialized in cattle scenes, echoing the genre’s focus on agrarian subjects. Stortenbeker’s treatment of light and atmosphere situates the piece within the broader 19th‑century interest in realistic rural depictions.
Artist & collection
