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Peasant with Shovel on His Shoulder

Jacques Callot

1617

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Baroque Baroque

Dominant colour

Peasant with Shovel on His Shoulder is a 1617 ink by Jacques Callot, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Jacques Callot
When & what style?: 1617 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This drawing shows a lone person carrying a shovel over their shoulder. They’re dressed in loose, simple clothes—a wide-brimmed hat, a short tunic, and baggy pants—and their feet are bare. The background is mostly empty, with just a faint, wavy line at the bottom that looks like water or a road, and a few tiny trees or bushes in the distance. The artist used a sharp, scratchy style to draw the lines, giving the whole scene a rough, textured feel. This was likely done with a needle on metal, which creates those jagged edges. Next, look up etching to see how artists like this made prints.