A Shepherdess with Her Flock
ca. 1852
Medium
Conté crayon with stumping on laid paper
Dimensions
Overall: 13 x 18 1/2in. (33 x 47 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
29.100.116
Tags
Art Historical Context
Jean-François Millet’s * Shepherdess with Her F* captures the quiet dignity of rural life in mid-nineteenth-century France. Created around 1852, the drawing reflects Millet’s deep commitment to portraying peasants and agricultural workers with respect and empathy rather than sentimentality. As a leading figure of the Barbizon School, he turned away from grand historical subjects to celebrate the rhythms of the countryside, making ordinary labor a worthy theme for fine art. The work’s medium—Conté crayon with stumping on laid paper—allows Millet to build rich tonal gradations and soft atmosphe...
About the Artist
Jean-François Millet · 1814–1875
Jean-François Millet (1814-1875) was a French painter and one of the founders of the Barbizon school, whose dignified depictions of peasant laborers transformed how art could represent rural life. His monumental images of sowers, gleaners, and field workers elevated common people to subjects previously reserved for mythological or historical figures, making him a pivotal figure in the development ...