Artwork
Cow Facing Left, with its Head Raised and Looking Up to the Right
Cow Facing Left, with its Head Raised and Looking Up to the Right is a drawing by Paulus Potter. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Paulus Potter’s 1650 drawing presents a solitary cow rendered in black chalk on paper. The animal moves leftward, its head turned back and gazing upward to the right, creating a dynamic diagonal line across the composition. The work functions as a study, emphasizing the animal’s form rather than narrative context, and remains a concise example of mid‑seventeenth‑century observational drawing.
Subject & Meaning
The sketch isolates a single bovine, captured in a moment of alertness as it lifts its head, perhaps sniffing the air. By focusing exclusively on the cow’s musculature and posture, Potter highlights the vitality and physical presence of the animal, reflecting a broader Dutch interest in realistic depictions of farm life and the natural world.
Technique & Style
Executed with loose, rapid strokes of black chalk, the drawing balances line and shading to suggest both the softness of the cow’s hide and the coarser texture of its fur. Minimal ground indication keeps attention on the animal’s silhouette, while the unfinished quality conveys immediacy, as if the artist worked swiftly to seize the creature’s movement.
History & Provenance
Created in 1650, the drawing is attributed to Paulus Potter, a Dutch painter known for his animal subjects. It is part of the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it is catalogued among the museum’s holdings of 17th‑century European drawings, illustrating Potter’s preparatory practices.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Paulus Potter (Dutch pronunciation: ; 20 November 1625 (baptised) – 17 January 1654 (buried)) was a Dutch painter who specialized in landscapes featuring animals, often from a low vantage point.
