The Early Ploughman

in or before 1861

Samuel Palmer

Associated Names
Samuel Palmer

Artist, British, 1805 - 1881

This image features a landscape viewed from a slightly elevated point, showcasing a pastoral scene. The horizon is positioned roughly one-third from the top, showcasing a vast sky with textured brushstrokes that may depict rolling clouds. In the background on the horizon, there is a silhouetted castle-like structure. In the foreground, two oxen are seen in motion with a plow, guided by a farmer. To the right, a line of trees creates an enclosed feeling, with a small figure among them. The entire scene is rendered in a monochromatic palette of sepia or brown hues to create a tonal and atmospheric effect.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gaillard F. Ravenel and Frances P. Smyth-Ravenel, Washington D.C.; gift to NGA, 2000.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2000

  • Drawings and Prints from the Permanent Collection (Summer 2000), National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2000.

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: no. 9, vii/ix

Inscriptions

by later hand, center verso in graphite: 21 / a; by later hand, lower left verso in graphite: 17875

Watermarks

HALL...

Wikidata ID

Q75426070

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