‘Bigger and lower’: bull in Dutch painting once had much larger balls
Experts at the Mauritshuis in The Hague believe Paulus Potter toned down The Bull to respect 17th-century sensibilitiesThe Bull by Paulus Potter is one of the star paintings at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, a bucolic image of animals and a farmer.But new research suggests the painting has...
<p>Experts at the Mauritshuis in The Hague believe Paulus Potter toned down The Bull to respect 17th-century sensibilities</p><p>The Bull by Paulus Potter is one of the star paintings at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, a bucolic image of animals and a farmer.</p><p>But new research suggests the painting has unexpected hidden depths: conservators restoring the artwork say the bull’s testicles were originally much larger, and appeared to have been halved in size by the artist to respect 17th-century sensibilities.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/15/paulus-potter-the-bull-mauritshuis-dutch-painting-testicles">Continue reading...</a>
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