Sleeping Peasant
c. 1865
Medium
Charcoal, on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
11.8 × 21.5 cm (4 11/16 × 8 1/2 in.)
Classification
charcoal
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
82489
Art Historical Context
In the tranquil "Sleeping Peasant" (c. 1865), Jean-François Millet captures the quiet dignity of rural French life with masterful charcoal strokes on ivory laid paper. just 11.8 × 21.5 cm, this intimate drawing from the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and collection exemplifies Millet's commitment to Realism. A leading figure in the Barbizon, Millet (1814–1875) rejected idealized romanticism, instead portraying peasants as noble figures enduring the hardships of 19th-century agrarian toil. Created amid social upheavals like the Industrial Revolution, the work reflects his empathy for the wor...