The Weary Ploughman

1858

Samuel Palmer

Associated Names
Samuel Palmer

Artist, British, 1805 - 1881

The image shows a pastoral setting with a slightly elevated viewpoint. The horizon is higher in the image with hilly terrains and a night sky above. A bright moon illuminates the scene. Detailed linework depicts a farmer with oxen and a dog on a rustic path. In the distance, a house with smoke coming out of the chimney can be seen. The style features fine etching lines for texture and depth. The color palette is monochromatic, creating deep contrasts. The composition is balanced, guiding the viewer's eye from right to left.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 19 × 26.3 cm (7 1/2 × 10 3/8 in.)
    sheet: 30.8 × 43.9 cm (12 1/8 × 17 5/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.9132

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Lister 1988, no. vii/viii

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1943

  • Selections from the Rosenwald Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1943-1944, pp. 110-111, repro.

2006

  • The Artist's Vision: Romantic Traditions in Great Britain, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2006 - 2007

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. 8, vii/viii (mentions this impression, as "untraced")

2005

  • Vaughan, William, et al. Samuel Palmer, 1805 - 1881: Vision and Landscape. London and New York, 2005: 219 (under no. 139c).

Inscriptions

proof covered with directions for printing in Palmer's own hand

Wikidata ID

Q65025504

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