Shepherdess Knitting (1862, Met-Objekt 4910)
Original title: Shepherdess Knitting
kurzbeschreibung
Jean-François Millet's 1862 etching shows a young woman standing while she knits, set within a rural landscape. The print is executed in brown ink on wove paper and belongs to Millet's recurring engagement with the lives of country people.
Description
In the foreground stands the figure, turned to the right in profile, her gaze lowered to the hands guiding her knitting. A long garment and a cap surround her upright, calm form. Behind her, sheep graze in a meadow bordered by trees and bushes at the edge of the wood. The layout runs horizontally, setting the bodily presence in the foreground clearly against the flat landscape beyond. Finely drawn lines and hatching model forms and surfaces precisely in a brown, monochromatic tone.
Context
Millet worked on this etching in 1862, during a phase in which he engaged closely with the everyday life of rural people. The motif of the shepherdess refers to paintings such as 'The Shepherdess' and reflects his interest in both the idyllic and the arduous aspects of field labor. The sheet was made as a single print in only one state and shows how Millet used etching to achieve subtle tonal gradations. It belongs to a series of prints from the 1860s with which he sought to bring his art to a wider audience.
Impact
Stillness and concentration define the print: the woman is entirely absorbed in her activity, while the sight of the grazing animals underscores the calm of her surroundings. The brown, monochromatic tone and delicate linework give the view an intimate, almost meditative mood and invite the viewer to turn toward a simple life.
Technique
Printed in brown ink on wove paper, in the only state. The etching employs fine lines and hatching, allowing precise rendering of light and shadow as well as the textures of clothing, wool, and foliage. The plate measures 32 x 23.8 cm, the sheet 38.5 x 28.9 cm, a format that makes viewing close and immediate.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)