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Restoration Reveals Hidden Details in Paulus Potter's The Bull

1/16/2026

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Summary

Story summary

The Mauritshuis completed an 18-month restoration of Paulus Potter's The Bull, revealing it originally depicted a bull with larger testicles.
Conservators used X-ray imaging and consulted cattle experts to document changes for 17th-century decorum.
Napoleonic troops looted the painting in the late 18th century.
The Dutch repatriated The Bull in 1815.
It is now displayed at the Mauritshuis, with original details concealed.

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Story summary

The Mauritshuis completed an 18-month restoration of Paulus Potter's The Bull, revealing it originally depicted a bull with larger testicles.
Conservators used X-ray imaging and consulted cattle experts to document changes for 17th-century decorum.
Napoleonic troops looted the painting in the late 18th century.
The Dutch repatriated The Bull in 1815.
It is now displayed at the Mauritshuis, with original details concealed.