Paulus Potter, November 20, 1625–January 17, 1654, was a Dutch painter, draftsman, and printmaker known chiefly for landscapes in which cattle and other animals occupy a central place. He was baptized in Enkhuizen and buried in Amsterdam; his father, Pieter Symonsz Potter, was also a painter.

Potter probably first trained with his father and was recorded in 1642 studying with Jacob de Wet in Haarlem. He became a master in the Delft Guild of Saint Luke in 1646, worked in The Hague from 1649, married Adriana van Balckeneynde in 1650, and moved to Amsterdam in 1652 at the invitation of the physician and civic leader Nicolaes Tulp.

Despite his brief career, Potter produced paintings, drawings, and etchings and was sought by prominent Dutch patrons. Major holdings of his work are in the Mauritshuis, Rijksmuseum, Hermitage Museum, National Gallery, J. Paul Getty Museum, and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.