Two Horses in a Meadow near a Gate, Paulus Potter, 1649
Two horses stand on a little rise before a sweeping meadow landscape with cattle. The town of Delft is visible in the distance. The animals’ fluttering tails and manes, and the low-lying clouds, signal that the weather is raw and windy. Potter enhances the liveliness of the depiction by placing the grey horse before a dark boscage and the chestnut horse before a light, cloud-filled sky.