The Little Farm Girl
Original title: The Little Farm Girl
kurzbeschreibung
Claude Augustin Duflos le Jeune made this etching with engraving around 1753, giving it the title "The Little Peasant Girl." A young woman in a rural setting tends to chickens. The subject belongs to the genre painting of the eighteenth century.
Description
Kneeling in a country scene, a young woman holds a hen she is evidently feeding. Her dress is plain, with an apron, and her hair is covered. More hens and chicks gather around her; eggs and a vessel lie in the foreground. Trees and a tower define the background, and the layout is symmetrical. Diffuse light, crisp and detailed lines, and the monochrome printing give the sheet its character.
Context
The Frenchman Claude Augustin Duflos le Jeune worked as a copperplate engraver in Paris in the eighteenth century. The work was made around 1753, when scenes of rural life were prized in French art. Such views were popular with wealthy audiences and spread widely through prints. Etching with engraving was then a common process both for reproductions and for independent works of art.
Impact
Delicate lines and the calm, symmetrical arrangement lend the image a harmonious, idyllic air. The diffuse lighting creates a soft, almost sentimental mood of the kind typical of genre art of the period.
Technique
Etching and engraving are combined on this sheet, allowing precise linework and detailed shading. The technique permits fine gradations in the print that capture the textures of feathers and fabric. The paper was trimmed to 27 × 20.5 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)