Two Horses in a Meadow near a Gate
1649
Paulus Potter was the ultimate animal portraitist of the Dutch Golden Age, and here he proves it by giving these two horses serious personality. The dark horse in the foreground seems to be mid-neigh, perhaps calling out to the cows grazing in the distance, while the white horse behind him stares directly at us like it's been caught in the act. If you look closely at the wooden gate, you'll find Potter's signature and the date 1649 cleverly painted right onto the planks, a classic trick of the era to claim his masterpiece.
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