End of the Day at the Stable

Literature

Wouterus Verschuur Senior was a Dutch painter of equestrian scenes. He delighted in the beauty of working horses in rustic locations such as farmyards and stables and was a great follower of the Old Master painter, Philips Wouwerman.

Verschuur studied in Amsterdam under Pieter Gerardus van Os and Cornelis Steffelar and worked later with Cornelis Springer, Peter Christ, and Cornelis van Bolt. Between 1842 and 1868, he lived in The Hague, Doorn and Amsterdam.

His work was regularly exhibited between 1828 and 1872 at the Living Artists Exhibitions in Amsterdam, Leuwarden, and The Hague. In 1831 and 1832, he was awarded the Felix Meritis prize and became a member of the Royal Academy of Amsterdam in 1833, then in 1839 the Arti et Amicitiae group.

In End of the Day at the Stable, Verchuur presents the viewer with a view of a small stable in the Dutch countryside. In the forefront, two white horses hang their heads in exhaustion, their powerful haunches finally able to rest now that the day’s work is over. Near their feet are two dogs, one at rest, the other curiously sniffing the ground. Behind them, a man dismounts from a rickety cart, still hooked up to its mount, unloading the wood he has been collecting. This rustic scene is typical of Verschuur, and displays his talent for depicting equine subjects.