Peasant Resting

Peasant Resting by Jean François Millet (French, 1814-1875), created in 1855, is a striking example of the artist's engagement with the reproducible medium of prints while still embracing the spontaneity of drawing. Classified as an etching, the work was executed on ivory wove paper, a common substrate for fine intaglio works of the period. Unusually, Millet supplemented the engraved lines with subsequent applications of graphite, using the pencil to refine details on the primary image. Furthermore, an independent graphite sketch is visible on the verso (the reverse side), highlighting the artist's tendency to treat the printing surface not merely as a final matrix, but as a continued site for artistic experimentation.

Produced during the mid-nineteenth century, a time when Millet had established himself as a leading voice in French realism, this image belongs to his dedicated series focusing on the arduous life of rural laborers. The subject matter depicts a moment of necessary physical rest, providing an unvarnished view of a peasant pausing from agricultural toil. The focus on agrarian life was a potent, often debated, topic in 1850s France, interpreting contemporary social issues through the quiet dignity inherent in the worker’s pose.

Millet’s masterful handling of light and shadow, crucial to the aesthetic power of his paintings, translates effectively onto the small scale required by the copper plate. The rich, velvety blacks of the etching technique reinforce the grounded, heavy quality of the subject matter, emphasizing the reality of manual labor. As an original work demonstrating a unique hybrid of etching and drawing, this piece provides valuable insight into the working methods of the Barbizon master. This important print is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.