Four Cows

Claude Lorrain

Associated Names
Claude Lorrain

Artist, French, 1604/1605 - 1682

This is a drawing of four studies of cows. The image features various sketches of cows in different poses on a textured, neutral paper background. The top right figure depicts a standing cow with detailed musculature and horns, while the other three cows are shown reclining. Each sketch varies in detail, with some focusing on the overall form and others more concentrated on facial features and the texture of their bodies. The drawings utilize soft lines with shading to give the cows a lifelike appearance. The choice of red chalk against the tan paper adds a warm, natural tone to the portrayal.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    red and black chalks with gray wash on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Arthur L. Liebman

  • Dimensions

    overall: 17.5 x 13.3 cm (6 7/8 x 5 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1992.87.27

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Roethlisberger 1968, undescribed

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(sale London, Sotheby's, 5 December 1977, lot 78); Arthur Liebman [d. 1991], Lake Forest, IL; bequest to NGA, 1992.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1968

  • Roethlisberger, Marcel. Claude Lorrain: The Drawings. 2 vols. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968.

Wikidata ID

Q64540127

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