Resting Cows: Object Identification Under Review

What is known about this image

A reproduction sold under Franz Marc’s title Ruhende Kühe (Resting Cows) shows a close group of cattle in cream, dark brown, red and green. The restored legacy image visibly matches the AKG-linked distributor's image AKG3769923. The distributor describes the original as a gouache measuring 42.2 × 55 cm, but its listing does not identify an owning collection or provide the kind of primary object record needed to settle the work's history. The original site image is shown for comparison while its object identity and reuse rights are reviewed. ^[1]

Watch: Franz Marc

Explore Marc’s blue horses, the Blue Rider circle and the move towards abstraction in English-language videos.

Franz Marc, Blue Horses and Der Blaue Reiter

The Canvas

An English-language introduction to Marc’s blue horses, animals, spirituality and the Blue Rider.

Watch on YouTube

▶01 · Marc and his horsesFranz Marc, Blue Horses and Der Blaue ReiterThe Canvas▶02 · The Blue RiderWho were the Blue Rider?Tate▶03 · Towards abstractionThe Case for AbstractionThe Art Assignment · PBS Digital Studios

A title shared by uncertain records

The University of Vienna’s transcription of the 1912 Sonderbund exhibition catalogue ^[2] lists a Franz Marc Ruhende Kühe as catalogue no. 451, an oil painting shown in room 18. A contemporary Kunstchronik notice ^[3] says a Marc work with that title was sold during the exhibition. Neither historical source supplies a photograph or measurements that would connect the exhibited oil to the gouache reproduction on this page. The sale notice therefore cannot establish the provenance of the pictured work. It is possible that the records concern different objects sharing a title; further catalogue evidence is needed. ^{[2] [3]}

Looking without assigning a fixed code

In the inherited reproduction, pale cattle bodies overlap sharply with black patches and bright green ground. The front animal's head bends low, and dark contours separate its legs from neighbouring shapes. These are visible features; they do not establish that any one cow is happy or dissatisfied. The old article gave red, yellow and blue fixed emotional meanings and inferred what the animals felt. Those interpretations have been removed from the local copy because neither the catalogue listing nor the image itself supports them.

This route remains available while an illustrated primary catalogue or owning-collection record is sought. It is held from a final medium assignment, any replacement-image export and the release-ready artwork directory. The original site image is shown for comparison. The name Resting Cows is a useful search lead, not a substitute for an exact object match.