The Calves
Willem Maris (1844 - 1910), c. 1863
oil on canvas, 30.5 cm x 50.3 cm
Credits: The Mesdag Collection, The Hague
Willem Maris was the youngest of three brothers, all of whom were painters. He was only nineteen years old when he painted this picture of two calves.
The silvery light reflecting on their backs was his trademark. His remark, ‘I do not paint cows, but rather the effects of light,’ is often cited in this context.
Maris preferred venturing out of doors with his artist friends to study in nature. He would continue depicting animals throughout his life. His paintings of cows were popular and sold well.
- Object number
- hwm0201
- Dimensions
- 30.5 cm x 50.3 cm, 56 cm x 76.5 cm, 12 cm
- Provenance
- Acquired by Hendrik Willem Mesdag, The Hague, in or before September 1881; Collection Museum Mesdag donated by Hendrik Willem Mesdag and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten to the State of the Netherlands, 14 May 1903; Rijksmuseum H.W. Mesdag, The Hague, from 1 August 1903; in trust of the Mauritshuis, The Hague, between 1934 and 1990; in trust of the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Amsterdam, from 1 April 1990; Museum Mesdag, in trust of the Van Gogh Museum Foundation, Amsterdam, from 1 July 1994, under the name of De Mesdag Collectie from 2011.
- artist
- Willem Maris
- Credits
- The Mesdag Collection, The Hague
The Hague, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Holland op z'n mooist, 4 April-30 August 2015
Arles, Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles, Van Gogh. Coleurs du Nord, couleurs du Sud, 4 April-31 August 2014
The Hague, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Willem Maris. Impressionist van de Haagse School, 21 January-9 April 2012
Turin, Galleria Civica d'arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Vittore Grubicy e l'Europa, 22 July-9 October 2005
Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Vittore Grubicy e l'Europa
Milan, Civiche Raccolte d'Arte Moderna, Vittore Grubicy e l'Europa
Anema, Ulbe, Kapelle, Jeroen, Veelen, Dick van, De schilders van de Veluwezoom, Zwolle, 2019, p. 108
Heugten, Sjraar van, Curiger, Bice, Clergue, Yolande, Van Gogh : colours of the north, colours of the south, Arles, 2014, p. 23, 32-33, 115
Heugten, Sjraar van, Curiger, Bice, Clergue, Yolande, Van Gogh : coulours du nord, coulours du sud, Arles, 2014, p. 23, 32-33, 115
Bergman, J., Reus, N. de, Willem Maris : impressionist van de Haagse School, Den Haag, 2012, p. 34-39
Dijk, Maite van, Suijver, Renske, Fitski, M., Smits, C., De Mesdag Collectie, Amsterdam, 2011, p. 60-61
Dijk, Maite van, Suijver, Renske, Fitski, M., Smits, C., The Mesdag Collection, Amsterdam, 2011, p. 60-61, 112-113
Leighton, John, Vincent van Gogh and his time. Four seasons from the Van Gogh Museum and the H.W. Mesdag Museum, Tokyo, 1997, p. 88-89, 145
Bodt, Saskia de, Leeman, Fred, Leeuw, Ronald de, Pennock, Hanna, Museum Mesdag : catalogue of paintings and drawings, Zwolle, 1996, p. 279-280, 353
Pennock, Hanna, Museum Mesdag : een selectie uit de verzameling, p. 14
Leeman, Fred, La scuola dell'Aia o l'ombra del successo, p. 366