Mauve used dark tones and emphatic lines to accentuate the somber dignity of the cowherd as she moves her animals slowly through the damp fields. Inspired by the work of French artist Jean-François Millet, Mauve devoted his career to depicting the Dutch countryside and peasant life. His paintings exemplify the approach of The Hague school, a group of Dutch artists known for the subdued colors and quiet moods of their rural scenes.
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[Daniel Cottier, New York, in 1883]; [Doll and Richards, Boston, until 1890; sold on October 10 for $1,500 to Knoedler]; [Knoedler, New York, 1890–92; stock no. 6592; sold on January 14 for $2,750 to Altman]; Benjamin Altman, New York (1892–d. 1913)
New York. National Academy of Design. "Pedestal Fund Art Loan Exhibition," December 3, 1883–January 1, 1884, no. 110 (as "Dutch Cattle Piece," lent by Daniel Cottier).
The Hague. Gemeentemuseum. "Meesters van de Haagse School," June 18–August 15, 1965, no. 88 (as "Boerin met koeien" ["Woman Farmer with Cows"]).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Van Gogh as Critic and Self-Critic," October 30, 1973–January 6, 1974, no. 34.
THIS WORK MAY NOT BE LENT, BY TERMS OF ITS ACQUISITION BY THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.
B[ryson]. B[urroughs]. "Modern Paintings in the Altman Bequest." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 9 (December 1914), pp. 252–53, ill. p. 255.
Bryson Burroughs. Catalogue of Paintings. 2nd ed. New York, 1916, p. 191.
Josephine L. Allen and Elizabeth E. Gardner. A Concise Catalogue of the European Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1954, p. 66.
Introduction by Jos. De Gruyter inMeesters van de Haagse School. Exh. cat., Gemeentemuseum. [The Hague], [1965], pp. 77, 79, no. 88, ill., as "Boerin met koeien" ["Farmer Woman with Cows"]; dates it 1878 or somewhat later.
Maureen C. O'Brien in Maureen C. O'Brien. In Support of Liberty: European Paintings at the 1883 Pedestal Fund Art Loan Exhibition. Exh. cat., Parrish Art Museum. Southampton, N.Y., 1986, pp. 24–25, 96, 166, fig. 6 (from 1883 exhibition catalogue), colorpl. XX.
Katharine Baetjer. European Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Artists Born Before 1865: A Summary Catalogue. New York, 1995, p. 346, ill.
There is a watercolor whose composition is similar to this one called Cows in the Rain, ca. 1880(?), Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (ill. p. 81 in Gruyter 1965).
This work may not be lent, by terms of its acquisition by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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