Samuel Palmer, 1805–1881, British, active in Italy (1837–39)
Title:
A Pastoral Scene
Date:
1835
Materials & Techniques:
Brown wash on wove paper
Dimensions:
Sheet: 3 3/4 x 4 1/2 inches (9.5 x 11.4 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1977.14.5824
Gallery Label:
Samuel Palmer remains best known for his early landscapes of Kent, which present a strikingly original vision of an idyllic country life. This small watercolor, derived from the second of two tours of Devon in the early 183os, reveals a similar sense of natural wonder. The scene shows harvesting by night, with laborers tying up sheaves of corn for loading on the wagon in the foreground. In this image of plenitude and fecundity, Palmer’s crescent moon illuminates the cornfield, allowing the laborers extra time to gather in the abundant harvest. Gallery label for Great British Watercolors from the Paul Mellon Collection at the Yale Center for British Art (Yale Center for British Art, 2008-06-09 - 2008-08-17)
