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Adriaen van de Velde’s pastoral scenes are, like this one, almost always tranquil and serene. They were designed to be easy to live with, and to give city dwellers a sense of being in touch with the countryside and traditional life. But although the paintings are tranquil there’s a sense of energy and movement hidden within them, and it’s a key part of their appeal.

In this picture, the statuesque bay horse is placed centrally; the strong, swooping line of its back dominates the picture and hints at the animal’s power. The line leads the eye past its feathery mane ruffled in the wind, and up to the fast moving clouds overhead. One of them catches the sun as it edges between the darker clouds that move away on either side of it to make way for the sparkling blue of the sky.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

A Bay Horse, a Cow, a Goat and Three Sheep near a Building

Date

1663

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 31 x W 37 cm

Accession number

NG983

Acquisition method

Wynn Ellis Bequest, 1876

Work type

Painting

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.

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Artist or maker

Adriaen van de Velde

1636–1672

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