The Road to Market
1858–59
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
92 × 73.4 cm (36 1/4 × 28 7/8 in.); Framed: 130.4 × 111.8 × 13.6 cm (51 3/8 × 44 × 5 3/8 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
896
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Two men—one on horseback, the other on foot—follow a woman carrying her child on a donkey. Together they lead a herd of sheep to a local market, aided by the dog standing watch to the right. The group emerges from the misty atmosphere of the early morning, the haze yellowed by the dusty path. Constant Troyon was drawn to images of animals more than most of his Barbizon School peers, who included Camille Corot and Jean-François Millet. Later in his career Troyon was celebrated as an animalier, a ...
About the Artist
Constant Troyon · 1810–1865
After training to become a porcelain painter at Sèvres, Troyon became interested in 17th century Dutch landscape painting, particularly the work of Jacob van Ruisdael, and subsequently became a member of the Barbizon School. After becoming Chevalier de le Légion d'honneur in 1849, his work shifted from landscapes to the painting of animals, often with laborers. His later landscapes of Normady were...