Mid-Day, from "Four Times of the Day"

Art Historical Context

"Mid-Day, from *Four Times of the Day is a captivating wood engraving on chineé created between 1830 and 1875 by Jean-François Millet and-Adrien Lavieille Millet, a pioneer of the Realism movement and key figure in the Barbizon School, often depicted the honest labors of rural French peasants with profound empathy. Collaborating with engraver Lavieille, produced this print as part of a series evoking the rhythms of daily life across the day's hours, blending Millet's compositional vision with Lavieille's precise woodcut technique. The medium—wood engraving on chine collé—highlights 19th-century innovations in printmaking. Wood engraving allowed for intricate details on end-grain blocks, enabling fine lines and textures ideal for mass reproduction in books and portfolios. Chine collé, adhering delicate Chinese paper to a sturdy support, preserved subtle tones while preventing ink bleed, making it prized for delicate works like this 5 7/8 x 8 11/16-inch block. Capturing a bustling midday scene, the print features men and women amid animals, carriages, and everyday shoes, evoking the lively pulse of rural France. Acquired through the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund in 1926, it's housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, offering visitors a window into how 19th-century artists democratized art through affordable, evocative prints.

About the Artist

Jean-François Millet|Jacques-Adrien Lavieille · 1814–1875

Jean-François Millet (1814-1875) was a French painter and one of the founders of the Barbizon school, whose dignified depictions of peasant laborers transformed how art could represent rural life. His monumental images of sowers, gleaners, and field workers elevated common people to subjects previously reserved for mythological or historical figures, making him a pivotal figure in the development ...