The image shows a pastoral scene from an elevated point of view. The horizon is depicted by a faint line of distant trees and hills merging with the sky. In the center, a figure is riding an animal across a rustic bridge over a stream. Tall trees frame the scene, with delicate branches reaching upwards in a canopy. Birds are faintly visible in the sky. The brushstroke style is intricate and delicate, with fine lines composing the trees and foliage. The color palette is monochromatic, dominated by sepia tones.
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A Farmer and a Sheep Crossing a Rustic Bridge

Jean-Baptiste Le Prince (French, 1734 - 1781)

Medium
red chalk on laid paper
Classification
Drawing
Dimensions
overall: 27.3 x 23.6 cm (10 3/4 x 9 5/16 in.)
Culture
French
Museum
National Gallery of Art, CG-E
Credit line
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Rights
Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art

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