Artwork
The shawm player and his son
The shawm player and his son is an ink painting by the Impressionist artist Elizabeth Boott. It dates from 1888 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays a father playing a shawm while his son listens attentively, a domestic scene that underscores familial intimacy and the transmission of musical tradition. The work functions symbolically as a meditation on the fleeting nature of youth and the enduring legacy of artistic practice, with the shawm, a wind instrument associated with courtly music, evoking themes of harmony and continuity.
Technique & Style
Although classified broadly as a painting, the specific application of these dry and fluid media on paper defines its material character.
Created in 1876 while the artist was in Italy, The Shawm Player and His Son is executed on a small scale, measuring 15.56 cm in height and 15.24 cm in width. The work combines pen and ink with watercolor paint to form its image. Although classified broadly as a painting, the specific application of these dry and fluid media on paper defines its material character.
The handling of ink and wash creates the formal qualities of the piece, distinguishing it from oil-based works of the period.
History & Provenance
Created in 1876, The shawm player and his son is an ink and watercolor painting executed by Elizabeth Boott in Italy. The work measures 15.56 cm in height and 15.24 cm in width. It is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Created in 1876 by Elizabeth Boott, the piece is executed in pen, ink, and watercolor on paper. The museum records list its dimensions as 15.56 cm in height and 15.24 cm in width.
While the artwork was produced in Italy, the provided sources do not contain specific inventory numbers, accession dates, or a record of past exhibitions.
Context
The shawm player and his son, painted by Elizabeth Boott in 1876, depicts a father teaching his child the shawm, a double-reed wind instrument, reflecting 19th-century European musical culture. Boott, active in Italy and known for detailed genre scenes, captured intimate domestic moments with precise draftsmanship, aligning with contemporary interests in familial and cultural traditions. The work is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which documents its creation in Italy using pen, ink, and watercolor.
Scholarship highlights Boott's role in bridging American and European artistic currents, though her contributions remain under-recognized in mainstream art history, as noted in studies of 19th-century women artists and their engagement with transnational themes.
The painting's subject matter and technical execution situate it within the broader context of realist genre painting, where everyday scenes were imbued with symbolic and educational significance, particularly in works exploring paternal instruction and musical heritage.
Overview
Created in 1888, The shawm player and his son is an ink drawing by American artist Elizabeth Boott. Executed during her Florentine period, the work aligns with the Impressionist interest in everyday life and fleeting gestures. It presents a street scene in which a musician and a child are the focal points, surrounded by onlookers in a modest architectural setting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Elizabeth Otis Lyman Boott (April 13, 1846 – March 22, 1888) was an American painter of still lifes, landscapes, and portraits.
