Paulus Potter
Paulus Potter (20 November 1625 (baptised) – 17 January 1654 (buried)) was a Dutch painter who specialized in landscapes featuring animals, often from a low vantage point. Before Potter died of tuberculosis at the age of 28 he produced about 100 paintings, working continuously.
Also recorded as Pl. Potter · Paul Poters · R. Potter · Paol Potter
Paulus Potter
Paulus Potter · The Cleveland Museum of Art · Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis C. Williams for the Lewis B. Williams Collection · CC0
- Name
- Paulus Potter
- Born
- 20 November 1625 (baptised)
- Birthplace
- Enkhuizen, Dutch Republic
- Died
- 17 January 1654 (buried)
- Place of death
- Amsterdam, Dutch Republic
- Field
- Painting
- Training
- Pieter Symonsz Potter
- Nationality
- Dutch Republic
- Occupation
- painter · poet · etcher · graphic artist · printmaker · architectural drafter · visual artist
- Fields
- landscape painting · animal painting · genre painting · history painting
- Movements
- Baroque · Delft school
- Known for
- Cows reflected in the water · Cattle in a Meadow · The Bull
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Paulus Potter (20 November 1625 (baptised) – 17 January 1654 (buried)) was a Dutch painter who specialized in landscapes featuring animals, often from a low vantage point. Before Potter died of tuberculosis at the age of 28 he produced about 100 paintings, working continuously.
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Authority files
gnd · 5200728-5 · wikidata · Q355406 · wikipedia · Paulus Potter
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Paulus Potter • Born — 20 November 1625 (baptised) • Birthplace — Enkhuizen, Dutch Republic • Died — 17 January 1654 (buried) • Place of death — Amsterdam, Dutch Republic • Field — Painting • Training — Pieter Symonsz Potter
Life
Life
• Illustration — The painting The Young Bull (1647) is in the collection of the Mauritshuis Paulus Potter was born in Enkhuizen. He was baptized on 20 November 1625. In 1628 his family moved to Leiden, and in 1631 to Amsterdam, where young Paulus studied painting with his father, Pieter Symonsz Potter. After his mother died, his father started an affair with the wife of Pieter Codde, also living in the fancy Sint Antoniesbreestraat. For some time his father was a manufacturer of gilded leather hangings outside the city walls. Potter became a member of the Guild of Saint Luke in Delft, but by 1649, he moved to The Hague, next to Jan van Goyen. In July 1650, Potter married Adriana van Balckeneynde (1627–1690). His father-in-law was a leading building contractor in the Hague and introduced him to the Dutch elite. Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, a member of the stadholder's family and an art-lover, bought one of Potter's paintings, The Farmyard, but some court ladies seemed to have advised against it. In May 1652, he returned to Amsterdam on invitation of Nicolaes Tulp, who owned a number of his paintings. Tulp was impressed by his civilized behavior and politeness and had Potter paint his son, Dirck Tulp, as a noble equestrian. Potter composed a will in January of 1653 and died a year later of tuberculosis, two months after his 28th birthday. Paulus painted a self-portrait which was at Hackwood Park, Hampshire until 1998.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1625
Paulus Potter born at Enkhuizen.
1654
Paulus Potter died at Amsterdam.
Paintings
Potter's most famous painting is The Young Bull (circa 1647), and is not to be confused with his work The Bull. The Young Bull was composed after drawings Potter made in nature, and is now located in Mauritshuis in The Hague. Though this painting was criticized, it was greatly admired during the 19th century as an early example of Romanticism. The Young Bull features as the canvas being studied in Mark Tansey's 1981 monochromatic oil on canvas The Innocent Eye Test. • Illustration — Punishment of a Hunter (c. 1647) • Illustration — Shepherd Boy with Cows (1647) • Illustration — Figures with Horses by a Stable (1647) • Illustration — Two Horses in a Meadow near a Gate (1649) • Illustration — The Farmyard, 1649, formerly known as The Pissing Cow from the collection of Amalia van Solms (1649) • Illustration — Two Pigs in a Sty (1649) • Illustration — Cattle and Sheep (after 1650) • Illustration — Cows Animals Resting in the Pasture (1650) • Illustration — Wolf-Hound (c. 1650–1652) • Illustration — The Piebald Horse (c. 1650–1654) • Illustration — Four Cows in a Meadow (1651) • Illustration — Cattle in a Meadow by Paulus Potter (1652) • Illustration — Four Bulls (unknown) • Illustration — Cattle in a Meadow (1652) • Illustration — Resting Herd (1652) • Illustration — A spaniel (1653)
Memorials
• Illustration — Statue of Paulus Potter at the Drommedaris in Enkhuizen A statue of Potter (sketching a distant statue of a goat) was erected at the Drommedaris in Enkhuizen in 1991.
The Shepherd, 1644, by Paulus Potter
Paulus Potter · The Cleveland Museum of Art · Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Williams Collection
The Cowherd, 1649, by Paulus Potter
Paulus Potter · The Cleveland Museum of Art · Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q355406: Paulus Potter
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 5200728-5, Tentoonstelling 'T Land van Paulus Potter (1994-1995 : Den Haag).
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
reference work
- “Paulus Potter”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q355406: Paulus PotterWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 5200728-5, Tentoonstelling 'T Land van Paulus Potter (1994-1995 : Den Haag).Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
The authorities additionally record the headings Pl. His recorded language was Dutch. He was the child of Pieter Symonsz Potter. Formation and teaching. He trained under Pieter Symonsz Potter, Claes Corneliszoon Moeyaert and Jacob Willemsz de Wet. His recorded influences include Pieter van Laer. Potter worked in painting. His work is associated with Baroque and Delft school. He belonged to Guild of Saint Luke. He worked at Amsterdam, Delft and The Hague. Work and production. Works recorded as notable number 3: Cows reflected in the water, Cattle in a Meadow and The Bull. His recorded genres are landscape, animal, genre and history.
Identity and origins
Potter, Paul Poters, R. Potter, Paol Potter and Paulus Porter
Career and activity
Recognition and collections
Work by Paulus Potter is
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Städel Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Art and Museo del Prado
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Prints
4,138 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Pauline LaurensEngraver
- Paulus Constantijn la FargueEngraver
- Paulus LesireEngraver
- Paulus PontiusEngraver
- Pedro de CalabriaEngraver
- Pedro de CampolargoEngraver
- Pedro PereteEngraver
- Pedro PerretEngraver
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