Photograph by Ed Pollard, Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II digital slr-2008.

Shepherd and His Flock

Artist Charles-Émile Jacque (French, 1813 - 1893)

Date1880

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions104 × 82 1/2 in. (264.2 × 209.6 cm)
Overall, Frame: 116 × 96 1/4 × 5 1/8 in. (294.6 × 244.5 × 13 cm)

ClassificationsEuropean art

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.2055

Terms

Landscape
Shepherd
Sheep
Man
Animals
Storm
Gray
White
Blue
Cream
Green
Yellow
Black
Barbizon School
Realism

Collections

European Art before 1945

On View

On view

DescriptionThis is a large oil on canvas painting. The foreground is filled with sheep in great detail. The mid-ground holds the shepherd, more sheep while the background sweeps in to the distance and meets the foreboding sky gray with ominous clouds. The sheep are lit with the sporadic light that filters through dark clouds. On the right stands a sheep dog, ready for action, with the shepherd not far behind. He carries a satchel over his left shoulder and a staff in his right arm.

Label TextCharles-Émile Jacque French, 1813–1894 Shepherd and His Flock, 1880 Oil on canvas Fleeing an approaching storm, a weathered shepherd strides over the crest of a hill, his trusty dog halting momentarily to survey their progress. But the real subject this painting is the flock of sheep they protect. Crowding the foreground, the jostling group is a collection of braying, fleecy forms. An errant ray of sunlight comes shining through the dark clouds overhead, spotlighting a few wooly faces. A founding member of the Barbizon group, the painter Charles-Émile Jacque became famous for his images of farm and field animals. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2055