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The Sower
(18th and 19th Centuries )
Millet first gained widespread notoriety with his iconic image of a sower shown at the 1850/51 Paris Salon. In this pastel version, he integrates the sower into the landscape around Barbizon with a harrower, a flock of crows, and the tower of Chailly visible in the distance. Millet built up his composition with a network of black chalk lines before adding his pastels.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Montaignac, Paris; purchased by William T. Walters (through George A. Lucas as agent), Baltimore, June 9, 1884 [1]; inherited by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
[1] The Diary of George A. Lucas, p. 588.
Exhibitions
| 2024-2025 | Reinstallation 2024: Art and Process. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2005-2006 | The Essence of Line: French Drawings from Ingres to Degas. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma. |
| 2004-2005 | The Road to Impressionism: Landscapes from Corot to Manet. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1992 | French Masterworks on Paper. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1983 | A Connoisseur's Portfolio: Nineteenth-century Drawings and Watercolors in the Walters Art Gallery. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1979 | A Baltimorean in Paris: George A. Lucas, 1860-1909. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1889-1890 | The Works of Antoine-Louis Barye. American Art Gallery (New York), New York. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 1/1/2002 | Treatment | examined for exhibition; repaired; other |
Geographies
France (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 17 1/8 × W: 21 1/16 in. (43.5 × 53.5 cm); Framed (with buildup), H: 28 3/4 × W: 32 5/16 × D: 2 15/16 in. (73 × 82 × 7.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by William T. Walters, 1884
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.905