The Cow in the Swamp

1800/1803

Carl Wilhelm Kolbe, the elder

Associated Names
Carl Wilhelm Kolbe

Artist, German, 1759 - 1835

The image shows a cow partially hidden in dense vegetation. The scene is viewed from a slightly elevated position, with foliage obscuring the horizon. The background is filled with plants and trees reaching into the sky. The artwork is detailed, using intricate etching to emphasize textures. The color palette is mainly shades of gray and black, creating a monochromatic appearance. Darker tones are used for depth and shadows. The vegetation is highly detailed, creating a lush atmosphere where the cow blends in naturally.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen

  • Dimensions

    plate: 30.3 x 41.6 cm (11 15/16 x 16 3/8 in.)
    sheet: 43.2 x 60.6 cm (17 x 23 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2012.92.2

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Martens 1976, no. 89, State ii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(C.G. Boerner, New York); Ruth Kainen, Washington, D.C., purchased December 30, 1992; Gift to NGA, 2012.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2014

  • Modern German Prints and Drawings from the Kainen Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2014.

Bibliography

1920

  • Jentsch, Ernst. "Der Radierer Carl Wilhelm Kolbe, 1757 Berlin-1835 Dessau." Unpublished dissertation. Breslau, 1920: no. 237.

1976

  • Martens, Ulf. Der Zeichner und Radierer C. W. Kolbe. Berlin, 1976: no. 89, ii.

Inscriptions

below image, at bottom right: C. W. Kolbe del. et sc.

Wikidata ID

Q75122266

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