The Piping Shepherd
1880
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1880
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
A boy in a bright green smock plays a wooden recorder while a lamb nuzzles his leg. His hat and pipe look pretty, not practical. They’re more about art’s mood than real life. At the time, British shepherds wore dull grey smocks called *drab.* Their pipes were made from reeds, not fancy wood. This painting borrows from the Aesthetic Movement, which prized beauty over facts. Check out another Fripp, Alfred painting at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
