It has been suggested that this work depicts the region of Brabant, near Uden, where Mondriaan stayed during 1904 (see A.B. Loosjes-Terpstra, Moderne Kunst in Nederland 1900-1914, Utrecht 1984 (2e editie), p. 50). However according to Welsh the area shown could also be that which surrounds Amsterdam.

At least three other versions of this subject exist. It seems likely that all four works were executed one after the other, the most famous of which being the watercolour "The White Calf", now in the Gemeente Museum in The Hague. It should be noted, however, that each of the versions bears slight differences in size, technique, lighting, and time of day to the others in the series. In all the versions the calves are positioned differently, although the view through the trunks of the willows, a strong vertical element in the foreground, has been maintained in each work. Obviously Mondriaan thought this a striking composition

See colour illustration