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Source Description
The exquisite handling of the pastel, crisp and colorful in the foreground while of the greatest subtlety in the atmospheric distance, bears out Pillement's reputation as the best 18th-century French artist of the pastel landscape. Landscapes in this period were most often picturesque creations, rather than literal transcriptions of nature. In this dramatically irregular countryside, shepherds, flocks, and rustic buildings create an air of idealized rural charm.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
147088
label
Shepherds in a Landscape
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
147088
contentType
drawing
title
Shepherds in a Landscape
description
The exquisite handling of the pastel, crisp and colorful in the foreground while of the greatest subtlety in the atmospheric distance, bears out Pillement's reputation as the best 18th-century French artist of the pastel landscape. Landscapes in this period were most often picturesque creations, rather than literal transcriptions of nature. In this dramatically irregular countryside, shepherds, flocks, and rustic buildings create an air of idealized rural charm.
date
1779
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79926198
creators
13742
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Unframed: 46.3 x 60.5 cm (18 1/4 x 23 13/16 in.)
cul
France, 18th century
accession
1973.1
Source extras
tec
pastel
tombstone
Shepherds in a Landscape, 1779. Jean Baptiste Pillement (French, 1728–1808). Pastel; unframed: 46.3 x 60.5 cm (18 1/4 x 23 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund, 1973.1
supportMaterials
description
fabric
collection
DR - French
inscriptions
inscription
Signed lower right: "J. Pillement / Pour son ami / gavines 1779"
citations
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 116; Mentioned: p. 117
citation
“The Year in Review for 1973.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 61, no. 2 (February 1974): 31–78.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 44; Mentioned: p. 74, no. 41
citation
Talbot, William S. “Some French Landscapes: 1779-1842.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 65, no. 3 (March 1978): 75–91.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 75-76, figs. 1-3
creditline
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:32:55.700000
sourceId
147088
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - French
med
pastel
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
c47aba0e49fe23bd