Peasant Seated on the Ground
1830–75
Medium
Etching on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 15/16 x 1 5/8 in. (2.4 x 4.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection. The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1963
Accession Number
63.621.12
Tags
Art Historical Context
Jean-François Millet’s “Peasant Seated on the Ground” offers a quiet glimpse into rural life through the figure of a lone man resting on the earth. Created sometime between 1830 and 1875, the etching reflects Millet’s lifelong attention to the humble gestures and dignity of agricultural workers, subjects that resonated deeply with nineteenth-century audiences seeking honest portrayals of everyday existence. The choice of etching on laid paper is well suited to this intimate scene. The technique’s fine, incised lines allow subtle modeling of the figure within a remarkably small sheet measuring...
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 ...