Calling the Cows Home
ca. 1872
Medium
Oil on wood
Dimensions
37 1/4 x 25 1/2 in. (94.6 x 64.8 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Arthur Whitney, 1950
Accession Number
50.151
Tags
About this artwork
This paintings titled "Calling the Cows Home" by Jean-François Millet dates to ca. 1872. Executed in oil on wood, this work exemplifies the craftsmanship associated with European Paintings. The piece demonstrates the technical skill and artistic vision characteristic of its period. The work's presence in a major museum collection attests to its significance in the broader narrative of art history. As part of institutional holdings, it serves both scholarly research and public education, offering...
Art Historical Context
Jean-François Millet, a leading figure of the Barbizon School and French Realism, captured the dignity of rural life in *Calling the Cows Home (ca. 1872). This oil on wood painting depicts a pastoral scene likely featuring a herdsman summoning cows at day's end, reflecting Millet's lifelong fascination with the everyday labors of peasants in Barbizon, France. Amid the social upheavals of 19th-century Europe, industrialization's encroachment on agrarian traditions, Millet elevated humble subjects to heroic status, challenging the romanticized ideals of academic art. The choice of wood as a sup...
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 ...