Abraham van Calraet

Horses and Cattle in a Landscape

Dordrecht, the later 1600s

Oil on wood

36 x 53.3 cm

A carefully-posed group of horses, cattle and a sleeping dog occupy a river landscape.

A passing peasant talks with a herdsman.  Calraet’s animal scenes, often with subtle evening effects, are closely based on the work of Aelbert Cuyp (1620 – 1691), to whom, not surprisingly, this work was wrongly attributed.  Both came from Utrecht and they shared the same initials – ‘A. C.’ (visible here in the right corner).

Purchased 1959 (No.59.3)