Lot 1124 Dα

This work shows a cow and two goats lying under a large grove of trees, with a further cow and two goats standing nearby. In the background, we see a river valley flanked by mountains, and a church spire between the trees. Claudia Nordhoff (op. cit.) describes this early example of Hackert's work, which still clearly stands under the influence of the Dutch Nicolaes Berchem, as forming the beginning of his development of a unique form of animal portrait. He began to paint close up depictions of individual animals against a landscape background, combining the genres of landscape painting and animal portraiture to form an unmistakeable new motif.