Rest from Labour on Sunny Days
Medium
Etching with stipple and aquatint
Dimensions
Plate: 9 13/16 × 6 15/16 in. (24.9 × 17.6 cm) Sheet: 14 1/8 × 9 5/8 in. (35.8 × 24.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.533.80
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Rest from Labour on Sunny Days" captures a tranquil pastoral moment through the collaborative vision of Thomas Rowlandson and the earlier Dutch master Nicolaes Berchem. Created between 1784 and 1787, this etching depicts men and women pausing from their work to enjoy music, with flutes and loyal dogs adding to the relaxed, idyllic atmosphere. The scene evokes the simple pleasures of rural life under bright skies, blending Berchem’s 17th-century pastoral traditions with Rowlandson’s lively 18th-century sensibility. The medium of etching combined with stipple and aquatint is particularly effec...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|Nicolaes Berchem · 1756–1827
Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827) was an English artist and caricaturist whose satirical watercolors and prints captured the social life of Georgian Britain with unparalleled wit and technical mastery. Alongside James Gillray, he is recognized as one of the greatest British graphic artists, and his distinctive flowing line and keen observations have made his work integral to understanding late 18th an...