Schijnbedrieger met de Pissende koe van Paulus Potter - D.F. Robart

A Dutch trompe-l'oeil quodlibet print by D.F. Robart, featuring a collection of scattered papers, maps, and a reference to Paulus Potter.

This work belongs to the genre of the quodlibet, a form of trompe-l'oeil art designed to deceive the eye by presenting a collection of disparate objects as if they were scattered across a surface. D.F. Robart arranges various printed ephemera, including maps, almanacs, and small landscape sketches, against a patterned background. The composition creates the illusion of a desk or table covered in loose papers, a popular motif in eighteenth-century Dutch print culture.

Central to the arrangement is a portrait of a man smoking a pipe, surrounded by smaller vignettes. One of these, a cow in a field, references the work of Paulus Potter, a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his animal studies. The inclusion of such a reference demonstrates the practice of artists incorporating earlier works into their own compositions, often as a form of homage or stylistic exercise. The surrounding items, such as the 'Nederlandsche Jaerboeken' and various topographical views, provide a snapshot of the intellectual and cultural interests of the period. The meticulous rendering of the paper edges, shadows, and textures aims to blur the distinction between the two-dimensional print and the physical objects it represents.

Robart employs fine line work to distinguish between the different types of paper, from the crisp edges of the almanacs to the softer, more atmospheric quality of the landscape sketches. The overall effect is one of ordered chaos, inviting the viewer to examine each individual element as if they were picking up the items themselves. This print serves as a record of the visual culture of the time, capturing the way information and art were consumed and displayed in the domestic sphere of the Dutch Republic.