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Peasant Couple with Cow

Jacques Callot

1621

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Baroque Baroque Genre Scene

Dominant colour

Peasant Couple with Cow is a 1621 ink by Jacques Callot, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Jacques Callot
When & what style?: 1621 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This etching shows a rough-looking couple by a cow in a field. The man stands holding a stick, his face turned upward. The woman sits on the ground, her hands resting on a sleeping child. In the background, sheep graze near a tree with a few branches. The lines are scratchy and uneven, giving everything a textured, almost sketchy feel. The artist used a technique where ink is pushed into lines carved into metal—this is called etching. The rough edges and busy details fit the style of the time. Want to see more like this? Check out etching for how artists made prints like this.