Details

Object type

painting

Title

The Carcase of an Ox

Artist/Maker

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn attributed to

Culture/School

Dutch

Place Associated

Netherlands (place associated)

Date

circa 1640-1645

Materials

oil on panel

Dimensions

framed: 972 x 753 x 91 mm;unframed: 733 mm x 517 mm

Description

Painting entitled 'The carcase of an ox', by Rembrandt, 1606-1669. The apparently unusual subject - that of a slaughtered animal - was quite common in the Netherlands in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The dead ox hangs in a dark room, its horns and skin lie on a slab, while a woman cleans the floor. The picture may be intended to remind people of the death that awaits us all. The free handling of the paint and the brown colouring are typical of Rembrandt. Some scholars think this is the work of one of his many pupils, although it bears his signature.

Credit Line/Donor

Bequeathed by Jane Graham Gilbert, 1877

ID Number

600

Location

In storage