Artwork
Autumn Landscape with a Flock of Turkeys
Autumn Landscape with a Flock of Turkeys is an oil painting by the Barbizon school artist Jean François Millet. It dates from 1872 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject centers on domesticated turkeys, which are depicted in naturalistic detail, suggesting themes of harvest and sustenance.
Autumn Landscape with a Flock of Turkeys presents a rural scene dominated by the seasonal transition of autumn, as indicated by the fallen leaves and the flock of turkeys foraging on the ground. The subject centers on domesticated turkeys, which are depicted in naturalistic detail, suggesting themes of harvest and sustenance. The landscape itself, rendered with Millet's characteristic attention to the rhythms of peasant life, conveys a sense of seasonal abundance and the continuity of agricultural cycles.
The painting's composition, with the turkeys positioned centrally, underscores the interplay between human cultivation and nature's provision, evoking both the practical realities of farm life and a broader meditation on the cyclical nature of time and labor.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, dating to 1872 and signed by Jean-Francois Millet. Its support is a canvas substrate, with the paint applied in thin, naturalistic layers typical of the artist's landscape practice. The composition portrays an autumnal scene dominated by a flock of domesticated turkeys, reflecting Millet's interest in rural subject matter and his skill in rendering atmospheric light.
Measured at 81 cm by 99.1 cm, the piece belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection and was originally owned by Isaac Dudley Fletcher. As a landscape painting, it exemplifies the genre's focus on observed nature while maintaining a realist handling of form and color.
History & Provenance
Autumn Landscape with a Flock of Turkeys is an oil on canvas painting executed in 1872 by Jean-Francois Millet. Classified as a landscape, it portrays an autumn scene with domesticated turkeys and measures 81 cm by 99.1 cm. The work was previously owned by Isaac Dudley Fletcher before entering the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains. The available sources do not list a specific accession number or exhibition history for the piece.
Overview
Jean-François Millet's Autumn Landscape with a Flock of Turkeys, an oil painting from 1872, presents a serene rural vista. The artwork captures a tranquil autumn day, featuring a group of domesticated turkeys within a natural setting. This piece exemplifies Millet's later shift towards landscape subjects. It is currently housed in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Context
This work was created during the later period of Jean-François Millet's career. As a prominent figure of the Barbizon school and Realism, Millet was initially celebrated for his depictions of peasant life and labor. However, in his final years, his artistic focus increasingly broadened to encompass the landscape itself, often featuring animals or subtle human presence within expansive natural settings.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-François Millet (French pronunciation:; 4 October 1814 – 20 January 1875) was a French painter and one of the founders of the Barbizon school in rural France.
- Gathering Wood in the Forest of Fontainebleau
Village on the Sea
Forest landscape with a creek
The Edge of the Woods at Monts-Girard, Fontainebleau Forest
Vennetje op de heide
Parti ved Iselingen. I baggrunden Vordingborg Kirke og Gåsetårnet. Septemberaften
Fields at Barbizon
The Pond (La Mare)
Sunrise
Harvest Time
The Shepherdess
Harvest Time