Description:



'Samson' Prize Heifer, 1871
oil on canvas
This idyllic cow portrait in profile entitled ‘‘Samson' Prize Heifer, 1871' draws our attention for many reasons, including its highly accessible pastoral simplicity. The cow in question is a heifer, i.e. a female cow who has not yet given birth to a calf; so she might be only 1 or 2 years old here although she could already weigh over 1000 pounds. Her name is also given as ‘Samson'—a strong masculine name with biblical connotations referencing a Hebrew man blessed with supernatural strength. This female version of Samson is indeed incredibly strong looking although she stands at leisure en plein air in a beautiful bucolic open field with some small farm buildings and trees flanking her. Her shape is mostly rectangular, designed to show off her colossal form, including her bulging brisket (the fatty area south of her neck). She is likely a Holstein cow, a breed that has been popular in the Netherlands for over 2000 years. And then in the 1800s selective breeding for certain traits in cattle became more common, so we see here how proud her owners must have been of the great strength that had been bred into her—yet a kind of strength that could be harnessed and controlled, thanks to the detail of her carefully-placed (and carefully painted in) red halter, her gentle horns, her complacent positioning for the viewer, and her open-range habitat.

Provenance: Estate of Raymond Keith Kissee

  • Dimensions: 24" x 20" unframed; framed: 26.5" x 23"
  • Medium: oil on canvas

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September 16, 2023 10:00 AM CDT
St. Louis, MO, US

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