Cows Crossing a Ford
1836
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
14 1/4 x 24 5/8 in. (36.2 x 62.5 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Leon L. Watters, in memory of Leon Laizer Watters, 1967
Accession Number
67.213
Tags
Art Historical Context
Jules Dupré’s *Cows Crossing a Ford* (1836) captures a tranquil moment of rural life along a shallow river. Painted in oil on canvas, the modest-sized work invites close viewing of its carefully observed details—cows, horses, and dogs moving through the water—while the soft reflections and open landscape suggest the gentle rhythms of the countryside. Created during a period when many French artists turned their attention to nature and everyday scenes, the painting reflects a growing interest in depicting the natural world with honesty and immediacy. Dupré, later associated with the Barbizon S...
About the Artist
Jules Dupré · 1811–1889
Jules Dupré (1811–1889) was born in Nantes, France, on April 5, the son of a porcelain manufacturer. He began his artistic career in his father's factory before moving to paint porcelain at his uncle's china factory in Sèvres. Lacking formal training or a specific teacher, Dupré debuted at the Paris Salon in 1831, earning a second-class medal three years later. A pivotal trip to England in 1834 ex...