Artwork Page for The Bellman

Details / Information for The Bellman

The Bellman

1879

Samuel Palmer

(British, 1805–1881)
Culture
England, 19th century
Medium
etching
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Williams, presented in honor of Henry Sayles Francis, Curator of Prints 1966.198
Catalogue raisonné
Lister 11
State
II, VII/VII
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

In a highly personal style, Palmer combined minute study of natural details with Gothic features from early Northern art and figure types borrowed from William Blake (also in this gallery). His moonlit landscapes of Kent appear as a fruitful, mysterious paradise, populated by a race of rustic heroes, personifications of pastoral contentment.
A horizontally oriented black ink etching depicts a dense village landscape textured with fine hatching and heavy shadows. On our left, a cloaked man with a light skin tone walks toward thatched cottages where people gather in a lit porch. In the lower right, several horned cattle rest near a spindly, leafless tree. A square tower rises against distant hills, while a round moon glows on the right horizon beneath a streaked, dark sky.

The Bellman

1879

Samuel Palmer

(British, 1805–1881)
England, 19th century

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