Q118150709

A second unidentified 1873 work by Rudolf Koller in the Kunsthaus Zürich collection, this canvas contributes to the picture of a painter at the height of his powers, producing multiple significant works within a single year. The year 1873 was pivotal in Swiss cultural life: industrialization was advancing, the traditional agricultural landscape Koller painted was beginning to change, and there was a corresponding intensification of interest in preserving that world through art. Koller's paintings from this period served a cultural function beyond their artistic ambitions — they became part of a broader Swiss project of national self-definition through images of the countryside and its animals. The Kunsthaus Zürich, which was consolidating its collection of Swiss painting at this time, recognized Koller's work as central to that project.

Like other Koller canvases of 1873, this work demonstrates his mature technique: controlled underpainting, confident mid-tone development in wet paint, and selective impasto reserved for points of light. His handling of animal musculature through tonal modelling rather than linear outline distinguishes him from more academic contemporaries.