ticketsMember | Make a donation

The Return of the Cattle

ca. 1773–75
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 524

Shown at the Salon of 1775, this was among the canvases of which Diderot asked "But, Robert, you have made these sketches for so long, are you unable to make a finished painting?" The artist’s loose handling partook in a deliberate aesthetic of the sketch even at such a large scale. This painting and its pendant (35.40.2) were commissioned by François Bergeret de Frouville, a financier whose older brother was a major patron and collector of contemporary art at the end of the ancien régime. Robert, who excelled at the depiction of ruins, was often criticized for his ability to paint figures. He has copied the woman riding sidesaddle directly from the elder artist François Boucher.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Return of the Cattle
  • Artist: Hubert Robert (French, Paris 1733–1808 Paris)
  • Date: ca. 1773–75
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 80 3/4 x 48 in. (205.1 x 121.9 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Lucy Work Hewitt, 1934
  • Object Number: 35.40.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
The Portico of a Country Mansion, Hubert Robert French, Oil on canvas
The Portico of a Country Mansion
Hubert Robert
1773
Landscape with a Fallen Tree, Hubert Robert French, Etching
Landscape with a Fallen Tree
Hubert Robert
1764
Le Sarcophage, Hubert Robert French, Etching
Le Sarcophage
Hubert Robert
n.d.
Title, "Les Soirées de Rome", Hubert Robert French, Etching
Title, "Les Soirées de Rome"
Hubert Robert
n.d.
Le Buste, Hubert Robert French, Etching
Le Buste
Hubert Robert
n.d.

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.