Art Collections Online

The Peasant Family

MILLET, Jean-François (1814 - 1875)

The Peasant Family

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)

Comments are currently unavailable. We apologise for the inconvenience.
Robert Willis
14 November 2017, 15:23
Is this painting currently on display/

Is it currently possible to buy a copy?
Sara Huws Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales Staff
29 July 2015, 09:04

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

Brian Armstrong
22 July 2015, 23:18
Have you any update as to when we can expect this work , the goose girl, the gust of wind and the sower back on display. Currently it feels like the heart has been ripped out of the 19th century gallery.
Amgueddfa Cymru
31 March 2011, 14:55
Dear Mari - Thank you for you comment, the animal in the background is in fact a dog. The animal is clearer when you view the original artwork, which is on display at the National Museum in Cardiff.
mari
31 March 2011, 14:51
why is there a monkey in the background? By the door.
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