The Weary Ploughman. The Herdsman. by Samuel Palmer, 1805-1881

Samuel Palmer, 1805-1881
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The Weary Ploughman. The Herdsman.

Original etching in black ink. 1858/65. From the issued edition printed for the Etching Club, and published in the portfolio 'A Selection of Etchings by the Etching Club', 1865. As finally completed by Palmer c.1865.
Ref: Lister - Samuel Palmer's Etchings no 8 state viii.

Excellent rich impression. On pale cream laid india (chine appliqué) with a white wove backing sheet, as issued. Generally excellent condition; very slightest sign of an old mount mark. Full margins (with acquisition annotations from 1928). Sheet: 12 1/4 x 17 5/8. Plate: 7 1/2 x 10
3/8ins (191x262mm)

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The Weary Ploughman was, with The Early Ploughman (see The Early Ploughman. The Morning Spread upon the Mountains.), one of the two great images of Palmer's great Virgilian vision of the ideal pastoral life, a life in which the tradition of working the land in unison with nature and the seasons provided man with the environment for a perfect harmony of existence. It was a theme stemming both from classical literature and above all from Palmer's admiration for Blake. The Weary Ploughman also shows Palmer's etching style at its most developed, with its very intricate overworked pattern of strokes building up the shadows and forms and contrasted with the jewel-like sparkles of pinpoint light which he used to enhance the emotional quality of the image.

See also the note on Palmer in Christmas - Folding the Last Sheep and The Early Ploughman. The Morning Spread upon the Mountains..