Artwork preview

Calling Home the Cows

Jean-François Millet

National Gallery of Art

This drawing depicts a pastoral scene with grazing cattle and a herder standing on a small mound. The man is facing left, holding a small horn up to his lips and blowing in to it. In the bottom left of the drawing, two of the cows are on a dirt path facing us, one white and one brown. They appear to have small silver bells around their necks. The rest of the cows are behind the small mound. Above the brown dirt path and scrubby green plants, the sky is a blend of light peach and pink, with some dark purple clouds made of thin crosshatching lines.

Artwork Details

Date
c. 1866
Medium
pastel and conté crayon on wove paper
Dimensions
10428 × 14087 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original