Seated Shepherdess

Seated Shepherdess by Jean-François Millet is a significant work in the artist's graphic output, created during the period 1830-1875. Classified as a print, this composition was executed as a woodcut on chine collé, indicating a specialized printing process where the thin primary sheet is mounted onto a heavier support paper. This piece specifically represents the second, and final, state of the print run, suggesting Millet made technical adjustments after the initial proofing to refine the composition’s balance and tone.

Millet frequently explored themes of rural labor and peasant life in his extensive output of prints and drawings, bridging the gap between Romanticism and emerging Realism in 19th-century French art. The work focuses on the figure of a woman, a shepherdess, seated quietly amidst her flock of sheep. Unlike the often monumental scale of Millet’s oil paintings, this intimate woodcut captures a moment of stillness and contemplation. The heavy, foundational lines characteristic of the woodcut technique lend a sturdy, grounding quality to the scene, emphasizing the simple dignity of the subjects. The shepherdess is depicted not as an idealized classical figure, but as an authentic representation of a working woman overseeing her animals.

While known primarily for his paintings of peasants and laborers, Millet excelled as a printmaker, developing a profound body of work that influenced subsequent generations of artists. The focus on the humble shepherdess and her charges illustrates the enduring relevance of agricultural life to the artist's vision. This impression of Seated Shepherdess is held in the comprehensive collection of prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As this foundational artwork falls into the public domain, high-quality images of the composition are widely available for scholarly study and appreciation.