Vincent van Gogh painted The Cows in July 1890 while he was a guest at Dr Gachet's house in Auvers-sur-Oise. It is based on an etching by Paul van Ryssel from 1873 that Gachet held of Jacob Jordaens' Study of Five Cows, which was on display at the Lille Palais des Beaux-Arts. Van Gogh painted several reproductions of earlier artists' works in the latter years of his life, including this one. The Lille Palais des Beaux-Arts currently houses a picture by Van Gogh.
