A Seated Shepherdess

c. 1836

Jules Dupré

(French, 1811–1889)

Culture

France, 19th century

Medium

black chalk with white heightening and white pastel on brown paper laid down on board

Measurements

Sheet: 61.1 x 47.6 cm (24 1/16 x 18 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2009.314

Catalogue raisonné

Abrun D.219

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Dupré was known for his evocative skies reflecting different atmospheric conditions.

Description

Unique for Jules Dupré, who mostly recorded landscapes, this sheet features a woman holding a crook for herding sheep. Many middle-class collectors at the time were eager for images of rural life while cities grew and factories proliferated. Cleveland’s drawing forms a pair with a similar depiction of a male shepherd, also created using wetted and burnished white pastel on earthy brown paper. It is one of numerous objects in these galleries formerly owned by Clevelander Muriel Butkin, a passionate scholar and collector of French art from the 1800s who bequeathed nearly 300 drawings to the museum.