Art Collections Online
The Peasant Family
MILLET, Jean-François (1814 - 1875)
Date: 1871-2
Media: oil on canvas
Size: 110.4 x 81.0 cm
Acquired: 1963; Bequest; Margaret Davies
Accession Number: NMW A 2473
Collection: The Davies Sisters Collection
Begun in 1871-72 but left unfinished, this haunting scene depicts a Norman peasant family in their farmyard. It embodies a primitivism which may draw upon Egyptian sculpture and Quattrocento paintings seen by Millet in the Louvre. The British painter Sickert commented: 'The sublime man and his stolid spouse face the spectator with all the gravity and symmetry of two caryatids, while the child essays, a baby Samson, the strength of the pillars of his house'. Margaret Davies purchased this work in 1911.
Comments - (5)
Is it currently possible to buy a copy?
Dear Brian Armstrong,
The painting, as well as the others you mention, will be back on display in September - if you are thinking of visiting to see something in particular, it is always worth calling ahead of time to make sure it is accessible.
We are currently conserving this painting, and in the coming month will be refurbishing the gallery roof as well, all part of the behind-the-scenes work which keeps the collection safe for future generations to enjoy it.
Sara
Digital Team