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The bridges in the Hague are well endowed with sculptures. Following Amsterdam's example, The Hague also had many bridges decorated. Many commissions were given by the municipality in the latter days of the Amsterdam School (1916-1926), when building sculpture became independent of architecture and thus acquired an independent place in the arts.

The sculptor Dirk Bus was approached to decorate the bridge at the Lijnbaan. First, in 1931, he made four animal reliefs for the ends of the bridge. This was followed five years later by a granite pillar with four reliefs of two sailing ships, a dolphin and an anchor.

Bus depicted 'donkey, cow, deer and horse' true to nature, in a calm pose. The stylised form is typical of the 1930s. The sculptures are comparable to the animal sculptures by Albert Termote and Gra Rueb from the same period.

The cow is lying against a wooden fence and next to her right front leg is a flower. Flower and fence create a rustic, lovely atmosphere. The deer with its head held high has its antlers on its back. This was technically necessary, because a free-standing stone antler is very vulnerable outside.

The horse has a saddle on its back, draws its head in and bends it towards the front legs. The donkey is also saddled and holds its head in a similar position as the horse. A funny detail is that you can see from the ears what mood both animals are in. It is clear that Bus worked the rock-hard Swedish granite with great skill and pleasure. An interview in 'Het Vrije Volk' of 1 December 1967 in honour of his sixtieth birthday confirms this: 'Plaster, clay and aluminium cement are among his materials, but 'I prefer to work in stone - that suits me best'.