Cattle Herd, Paulus Potter, 1641
pen, h 178mm × w 263mm More details
Even though this is one of his earliest drawings, the teenage Paulus Potter nevertheless portrayed the anatomy of the cow’s body with consummate skill. The hide appears to be stretched over the skeleton, as it were. He probably used sculpted or cast models of animals, which he drew from various angles. In this drawing the same standing cow is seen from the back, the side, and the front.
