May
1772
Medium
Black chalk, brown, black or gray ink and watercolor
Dimensions
sheet: 5 3/16 x 7 7/16 in. (13.1 x 18.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Charles and Jessie Price Gift, 2005
Accession Number
2005.249.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
Hendrik Meijer’s delicate drawing “May,” created in 1772, captures the lively rhythms of an 18th-century town during springtime. Using black chalk, ink, and watercolor on a modest sheet just over five by seven inches, the artist renders men, women, and children going about their daily routines alongside roosters and dogs. The combination of precise line work and soft washes of color brings a gentle vibrancy to the scene, suggesting the freshness of the season without overwhelming detail. The title hints that this sheet may belong to a series illustrating the months, a popular tradition in Eur...