Description
This idealized vision of noble peasant life was painted during a period of intense industrialization in France, accompanied by economic depression and the abandonment of farms. Nostalgic peasant scenes were especially popular in the 1840s, a stark contrast to the disillusionment and tension that would violently surface in the Revolution of 1848. The vague shapes and faces of the family seen here make them symbols of the land, rather than individuals.
Provenance
John W. Wilson. His sale, Paris, Drouot, 27-28 April 1874 (lot 113), Retour des Champs, ff 8,200. Frédéric Hartmann, Münster. His sale, Paris, Drouot, 11 May 1876 (lot 24), Retour des champs, 45 x 38 cm, ff 6,350. W. A. Coats, Scotland, 1901. London sale, Christie's, 10 June 1927 (lot 74), The Last Load, for £483 to Blaker. D. Croal Thompson, 1928. Howard Murray, Montreal. His sale, New York, Parke-Bernet Galleries, 23 October 1941 (lot 34, repr.), bought by L. J. Marion. Hazlitt Gallery, London. Purchased by the CMA in 1972.
Accession Number
1972.19
Medium
oil on fabric
Dimensions
Framed: 68 x 60 x 10 cm (26 3/4 x 23 5/8 x 3 15/16 in.); Unframed: 46.2 x 37.8 cm (18 3/16 x 14 7/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund