Artwork
A Seated Shepherdess
A Seated Shepherdess is a drawing by the Romanticist artist Jules Dupré. It dates from 1836 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
A Seated Shepherdess is a drawing by Jules Dupré, an artist known for his landscapes. This work is unusual in his oeuvre as it depicts a figure.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing shows a young woman sitting on a rock, holding a shepherd's crook. Her calm demeanor and simple attire evoke a sense of serenity and connection to rural life, a theme that resonated with urban collectors in the 1830s.
Technique & Style
The artist employed wetted and burnished white pastel on earthy brown paper to achieve a soft, warm effect. The blending of pastels creates a subtle, nuanced representation of the subject.
History & Provenance
The drawing is part of a pair with a similar depiction of a male shepherd. It was bequeathed to the museum by Muriel Butkin, a collector of French art from the 1800s, as part of a collection of nearly 300 drawings.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jules Louis Dupré (French pronunciation: ; April 5, 1811 – October 6, 1889) was a French painter, one of the chief members of the Barbizon school of landscape painters.
