Artwork Page for The Sheep of His Pasture

Details / Information for The Sheep of His Pasture

The Sheep of His Pasture

1828

Edward Calvert

(British, 1799–1883)
Culture
England, 19th century
Medium
wood engraving
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1929.138
Catalogue raisonné
Lister 12C
State
III/III
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Calvert was so influenced by William Blake's wood engravings that The Sheep of His Pasture is directly based on an illustration for The Pastorals of Virgil. Calvert, however, even more than Blake, exploited the ability of wood engraving to achieve the most delicate detail, so astonishing in these miniatures. Calvert's subject matter originated from a vision of the golden age of pastoral innocence and abundance that has both Christian and classical overtones. The women in The Brook resemble figures carved on antique gems, and the tree stumps symbolize the transitory nature of life.
A horizontally oriented print in black ink depicts a stream, sheep, and houses. A winding stream flows toward our right foreground, while sheep graze on a bank or rest near a fence. A dark hill rises on our left, and a sun with radiating lines peaks over the horizon. Two thatched-roof houses sit on our right. Dense lines texture the scene against the cream paper, with letters reading "EDWD CALVERT IN ET SC."

The Sheep of His Pasture

1828

Edward Calvert

(British, 1799–1883)
England, 19th century

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