The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Peasant Returning from the Manure Heap

1855–56

Jean-François Millet

(French, 1814–1875)
France, 19th century
etching
Plate: 16.2 x 13.2 cm (6 3/8 x 5 3/16 in.)
Gift of Ralph King 1921.991
Catalogue raisonné: Delteil 11 ; Beraldi 12
Location: Not on view

Description

Millet moved from Paris to the nearby village of Barbizon in 1849 in search of rustic subject matter. The group of painters working in the countryside surrounding the Forest of Fontainebleau frequently painted out-of-doors in order to create fresh and accurate views of nature. While most of the Barbizon artists focused primarily on landscape, Millet also represented peasants. His works celebrate the nobility and dignity of people living close to the soil, symbols of the stability and continuity lacking in modern life
  • ?-1921
    Ralph King [1855-1926], Cleveland Heights, OH
    June 21, 1921
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Talbot, William S. “Jean-François Millet: Return from the Fields.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 60, no. 9 (November 1973): 259–266. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 262-263, figs. 6, 8 www.jstor.org
  • Inventive Impressions: 18th- and 19-Century French Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001).
    The Cleveland Museum of Art; 8/26/01-10/28/01. "Inventive Impressions: 18th- and 19th-Century French Prints".
    The Graphic Art of the Barbizon School. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 17-May 17, 1987).
    Barbizon School. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 24-March 3, 1963).
  • {{cite web|title=Peasant Returning from the Manure Heap|url=false|author=Jean-François Millet|year=1855–56|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1921.991