Artwork
The Two Buffaloes
The Two Buffaloes is a print by Pieter van Laer. It dates from 1630 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Two brown buffalo stand side by side in a Dutch field. One faces us. The other turns away. The grass is bright green. The sky is a flat blue band above.
Van Laer painted animals this way often. He showed them without drama. Just quiet shapes and soft colors.
Look for his smaller scenes if you like this one. Try Pieter van Laer (Dutch, 1592–c. 1642).
Overview
Created circa 1630 by the Dutch artist Pieter van Laer, *The Two Buffaloes* is a small print that presents a quiet rural scene. Two brown buffalo stand in a green field beneath a flat blue sky, one looking toward the viewer and the other turned away, rendered in soft, muted tones.
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a pair of buffalo in a tranquil, everyday landscape, emphasizing the simple presence of the animals rather than any narrative drama. The composition invites contemplation of the natural world as a calm, unembellished reality.
Technique & Style
Van Laer’s printmaking style favors restrained lines and gentle coloration, focusing on clear shapes and modest detail. The animals are rendered with a calm solidity, while the background consists of broad fields of green and a uniform sky, reflecting his characteristic low‑key, genre approach.
History & Provenance
Pieter van Laer, active in Rome during the early seventeenth century, was known among his peers as “Il Bamboccio,” a nickname from the Bentvueghels, a society of Dutch and Flemish artists in the city. His prints and paintings of rural life helped shape the Bamboccianti movement, a group of artists who followed his realistic, everyday subjects.
Context
Working in Rome, van Laer combined his Dutch training with the Italian countryside, producing scenes that blended northern genre traditions with the Italian landscape. His focus on ordinary subjects and modest compositions contrasted with the grand historical and religious works popular at the time.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Pieter Bodding van Laer (christened 14 December 1599, in Haarlem – 1641 or later) was a Dutch painter and printmaker.
