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The Wicked Husbandmen (The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ)

Engraver Dalziel Brothers British
1864
Not on view
It took Millais seven years to design twenty images inspired by New Testament Parables for the Dalziel Brothers, and the resulting prints are considered pinnacles of wood engraved illustration. The artist wrote to his publishers, "I can do ordinary drawings as quickly as most men, but these designs can scarcely be regarded in the same light—each Parable I illustrate perhaps a dozen times before I fix [the image]." After completing a design, Millais transferred it to a woodblock coated with "Chinese" white for skilled engravers to carve. Finally, he reviewed proofs, and final adjustments were made before the final printing.
The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen appears in Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, and Luke 20:9-19, and tells how a vineyard owner entrusts his property to caretakers. When servants and the owner's son arrive to claim the harvest they are attacked and killed. Pre-Raphaelite ideals shaped the combination of detailed naturalism and down-to-earth imagery to produce a work distinctly different than most religious art of the period.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Wicked Husbandmen (The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ)
  • Artist: After Sir John Everett Millais (British, Southampton 1829–1896 London)
  • Engraver: Dalziel Brothers (British, active 1839–93)
  • Date: 1864
  • Medium: Wood engraving; proof
  • Dimensions: image: 5 1/2 x 4 5/16 in. (13.9 x 10.9 cm)
    sheet: 7 5/16 x 6 1/16 in. (18.6 x 15.4 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1921
  • Object Number: 21.68.4(8)
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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John Everett Millais: India Proofs of his Twenty Pictures from The Parables of our Lord, and Twenty Autograph Letters from him to the Brothers Dalziel
After Sir John Everett Millais (British, Southampton 1829–1896 London)
1864–1902
The Prodigal Son (The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ), Sir John Everett Millais British, Wood engraving; proof
The Prodigal Son (The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ)
After Sir John Everett Millais
Engraver Engraved and printed by Dalziel Brothers
1864
Grand Pianoforte, Érard , made in London French, Satinwood veneer, oak, spruce, iron, steel, ebony, ivory, gilding, mother-of-pearl, holly, mahogany, burl walnut, tulipwood, silver wire, British
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Le Diable a Paris. . . Paris et Les Parisiens, Vol. I, Antoine-Alphée Piaud French, Wood engraving
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1845
The Sower (The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ), Sir John Everett Millais British, Wood engraving; proof
The Sower (The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ)
After Sir John Everett Millais
Engraver Dalziel Brothers
1864

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