In search of the best Bull

“The results of the research have taught us so much about the choices Potter made while painting The Bull”, says Jolijn Schilder. “It’s all very personal: all the ideas that suddenly occurred to him and all the changes he made have been hidden for centuries, but our research has brought them to light.”

“What a difference!”, Abbie Vandivere. “Without varnish, we can finally see all the colours, textures and depth in Potter’s paint.”

Legs, neck and large testicles

We already knew that this is not a portrait of a real bull. The one in the painting consists of different ‘parts’ of older and younger bulls that have been combined. The investigation showed that Potter might not even have started out painting a bull. His first version of the animal has been revealed as a bovine with no sex-specific features, which was smaller and thinner than the bull we now see in the painting. Potter changed the position and length of the legs, the tail, head and back, and only added specific features like the testicles (which were much bigger at first!) and the dewlap (the flap of skin hanging from its neck) at a later stage. Finally, the pattern on the coat was different in earlier versions, which reaffirms that Potter did not set out to paint an existing bull.

Plants, fence and background

The plants were also a challenge for the painter. Near the tree, along the left edge of the first smaller composition, there once were more (unidentified) plants. An earlier version of the painting had a fence that ran from beneath the bull’s head to the left edge. After the painting was enlarged, the fence was moved to the extended section, and ‘Farmer Teun’ now stands behind it. Because the painting was a lot smaller originally, Potter also had to make drastic changes to the background after he enlarged it. The first background was closer to the viewer, and included a farm with a hay barn. The landscape with a castle and the church in Rijswijk that can now be seen further in the distance were not in the original composition.

The Canvas

Potter cut the top edge off the original painting, and then added pieces of canvas to the left and right and at the top. Research has confirmed that Potter had already painted part of his first composition before adding the strips of canvas, to which he applied a preparatory ground layer before painting them. In the first version, Potter painted the bull in a landscape, and did not add the farmer, one or both trees, the ram, the sheep and the lamb until after he had enlarged the canvas. We do not know why he added any of these elements. Further research is also needed to determined the order in which he made the many changes to the painting.

French branch

What Potter was not responsible for is the countless instances of overpainting in the sky that occurred over the following centuries. We knew that parts of the sky had been overpainted, but this was found to have occurred many more times than previously thought. One of the tree branches is by an unknown French painter, applied to hide damage that occurred when The Bull was on display in Paris (having been taken from The Hague by the revolutionary armies in 1795). That small branch is still part of the painting.

From research to conservation

The conservators working on The Bull, Jolijn Schilder and Abbie Vandivere, have spent three months investigating the materials and techniques. The painting was thoroughly examined using the latest X-ray and infrared techniques, which do not make any contact with the paint surface. The investigation was performed in collaboration with the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. Although it will take several more months to interpret the results, Vandivere and Schilder have now started work on the restoration treatment.

The extensive treatment of The Bull has already begun, with the removal of yellowed layers of varnish applied during previous restorations. From beneath the varnish, vibrant colours, vivid textures and more depth have become visible. This cleaning phase will also remove some of the overpainting in the sky.

The conservation work is expected to take until the end of 2025 to complete. Everyone is welcome to come and take a peek at the conservators at work in a temporary studio (nicknamed ‘the stall’) in one of the galleries at the Mauritshuis.

Bull Saturdays

The Mauritshuis is organising a number of ‘Bull Saturdays’ in connection with the conservation project. On these special Saturdays, there will be a range of free activities for visitors young and old. The following Bull Saturday will take place on 3 August, with a lecture in English at 10:30. This will conclude a ‘Bull Week’ which, from Tuesday July 30, will include guided tours, Maurits Mouse for our youngest visitors, and a freely accessible Art Workshop.

More information: Bull Saturdays | Mauritshuis

Partnership with Lely

The Mauritshuis has entered into a three-year partnership with the family-run agricultural enterprise Lely of Maassluis. The reason for the collaboration is the conservation of The Bull. As a partner of the Mauritshuis, Lely is contributing to the investigation and preservation of the painting for future generations. The partnership has not only allowed the Mauritshuis to make the conservation work on The Bull accessible to the public, but also to share the research results with both existing and younger audiences.

About Lely

Lely is a family-run international agricultural enterprise which helps livestock farmers find innovative and sustainable solutions to increase the efficiency of their operations, with a focus on responsibility towards people, animals and the environment. Lely was established in 1948 by brothers Cornelis and Arij van der Lely of Maassluis. The company now has customers in more than 45 countries around the world. Lely is an innovative pioneer in the design and production of automated systems for dairy farmers, that allow them to excel in sustainable milk production in order to feed the world.