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Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Starting June 3
Exhibitions & Events
Featured event:

Block Party
Join us June 6
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

The Bellman

1879

Samuel Palmer

Associated Names

Samuel Palmer

Artist, British, 1805 - 1881

Alfred Herbert Palmer

Printer, British, 1853 - 1932

The image shows a rural scene from a slightly elevated perspective. The horizon is low, with distant mountains meeting a cloudy sky. In the middle, a small village is nestled among rolling hills, with smoke rising from a chimney. A hill and sparse trees are visible in the distance. The engraving features meticulous and dense brushstrokes creating intricate textures and contrasts. The color palette is mainly monochromatic, emphasizing light and shadow. Closest to the viewer are figures and animals, including a person walking near a cart and sheep grazing.

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Artwork overview

Medium

etching on japan paper, pasted to board
Credit Line

Gift of Charles Ryskamp in honor of Paul Mellon, and in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Dimensions

plate: 19.4 x 25.3 cm (7 5/8 x 9 15/16 in.)
sheet: 29.1 x 40.1 cm (11 7/16 x 15 13/16 in.)
Accession Number

1991.154.5
Catalogue Raisonné

Lister 1988, no. 11, State v/vii
Series Title

Il Penseroso

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1992

Dürer to Diebenkorn: Recent Acquisitions of Art of Paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1992, no. 57.

Bibliography

1968

Lister, Raymond. Samuel Palmer and His Etchings.New York: Watson-Gulptill, 1968.

1988

Lister, Raymond. Catalogue Raisonne of the Works of Samuel Palmer. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1988: 11, v/vii

Inscriptions

lower right plate: S. PALMER. INV. ET. FEC. / MEAD. VALE / RED HILL / 1879; lower left in graphite: Samuel Palmer

Wikidata ID

Q74894231

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