About this artwork
Cornelis Visscher’s engraving is one of the softest, most tactile renditions of a cat ever printed. The breathless mouse sneaking by the corner grate seems barely present in contrast, so light and ghostly is its fur. In a culture where cats were domestic staples (as dispatchers of vermin) rather than treasured pets, Visscher created a particularly memorable portrait.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Cornelis Visscher
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Title
- The Large Cat
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Place
- Holland (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- Made 1657
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Medium
- Engraving on ivory paper
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Dimensions
- Sheet: 14.3 × 18.5 cm (5 11/16 × 7 5/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of Horace S. Oakley
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Reference Number
- 1923.994
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/9372/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
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