The Early Ploughman

The Early Ploughman, begun in 1861 by Samuel Palmer (1805-1881). Etching

In this 1863 impression of a state 3 of 8 etching a ploughman follows a team of oxen across uneven ground on a steep river bank. The river flows beneath a three-arched bridge to lower left of composition. the ploughman is watched by a woman who stands beside a row of cypresses, a pail in her right hand and a vessel balanced upon her head. Beyond lies a hilly landscape with a castle to left and distant mountains in centre of composition, illuminated by the light of coming dawn.

Palmer made studies of oxen pulling a plough and tall cypress trees in Italy which this landscape evokes. The village setting is British however. The subject is drawn from different sources including Titian’s painting Madonna and Child with the Young St. John the Baptist and St. Catherine. This is Palmer’s ninth etching which he began in 1861. He continued to develop the composition for the rest of his life achieving a spectacular early morning sky.

Samuel Palmer is considered to be one of Britain’s most original artists, and a key figure in the Romantic movement.