De Zaaier

About this artwork

verzamelaarsmerk, verso midden, gestempeld: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

Jean François Millet’s *De Zaaier* (*The Sower*), created in 1851 as a lithograph, captures the quiet dignity of rural labor. Measuring just 195 by 163 millimeters, this intimate print distills Millet’s larger painted composition of the same subject into a widely accessible format. Working in the Realist tradition and associated with the Barbizon School, Millet portrayed peasants not as picturesque figures but as central, heroic characters in the landscape. The lithograph medium was especially suited to Millet’s aims, allowing his sympathetic vision of agricultural life to reach broader audiences during a period of rapid industrialization and social upheaval in France. By choosing a humble sower striding across a furrowed field, Millet elevated everyday rural work to the level of history painting, inviting viewers to reflect on humanity’s enduring connection to the land. A collector’s stamp on the verso (Lugt 2228) hints at the print’s journey through private hands, underscoring the lasting appeal of Millet’s simple yet powerful image.