The Sower (The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ)

Art Historical Context

"The Sower" is a wood-engraved proof created in 1864 by Sir John Everett Millais in collaboration with the Dalziel Brothers for their illustrated volume *The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ*. Millais, a founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, brought his characteristic attention to natural detail and moral storytelling to the project, translating the biblical parable into a quiet, evocative scene of a sower casting seeds amid birds and trees. The image captures the moment when some seeds fall on fertile ground while others are snatched away, inviting viewers to reflect on themes of faith, receptivity, and spiritual growth. Wood engraving was the dominant reproductive medium of the Victorian period, prized for its ability to render fine lines and tonal subtlety on the end grain of boxwood blocks. The Dalziel Brothers, leading engravers of their day, expertly translated Millais’s designs into printable form, allowing the parables to reach a wide audience through affordable books. This particular proof, now in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection, offers a rare glimpse of the artist’s vision before final printing, preserving the crisp contrasts and delicate textures that made these illustrations so compelling to nineteenth-century readers.

About the Artist

Dalziel Brothers|Sir John Everett Millais (British|British) · 1839 |1823 –1893 |1906

British, active 1839–93|British, Wooler, Northumberland 1823–1906 Herne Bay, Kent