Shepherd and Shepherdess

1878

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 764

This fireplace surround was produced during Homer’s active involvement with the Tile Club, founded in 1877 as a savvy response to growing American interest in the so-called household art movement, which called for a marriage of the beautiful and useful. Of all the members, Homer appears to have been among the most serious, producing several individual tiles and two ambitious surrounds that he copyrighted, suggesting commercial intent. This design’s pastoral figures in "old-fashioned" dress evoke both the storybook work of English artist Walter Crane as well as Homer’s own watercolors of shepherdesses.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Shepherd and Shepherdess
Decorator: Winslow Homer (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine)
Date: 1878
Culture: American
Medium: Glazed earthenware, overglaze enamel decoration
Dimensions: Overall: 36 x 49 1/4 in. (91.4 x 125.1 cm)
Each tile: 8 x 8 in. (20.3 x 20.3 cm)
Credit Line: Bequest of Arthur G. Altschul, 2002
Object Number: 2003.140
Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Annie Lawrie (Sheet music cover), Winslow Homer American, Lithograph — Annie Lawrie (Sheet music cover)
Multiple artists/makers
1850–59

Sunday Morning in Virginia – From the Painting by Winslow Homer in the National Academy of Design (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XXIV), Winslow Homer American, Wood engraving — Sunday Morning in Virginia – From the Painting by Winslow Homer in the National Academy of Design (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XXIV)
Winslow Homer
May 22, 1880

A Quiet Day in the Country (from "Appleton's Journal," Vol. III), Winslow Homer American, Wood engraving — A Quiet Day in the Country (from "Appleton's Journal," Vol. III)
Winslow Homer
D. Appleton & Co.
June 6, 1870

George Blake's Letter (The Galaxy, An Illustrated Magazine of Entertaining Reading, Vol. IX), Winslow Homer American, Wood engraving — George Blake's Letter (The Galaxy, An Illustrated Magazine of Entertaining Reading, Vol. IX)
Winslow Homer
January 1870

"I Cannot! It Would Be a Sin! A Fearful Sin!" (The Galaxy, An Illustrated Magazine of Entertaining Reading, Vol. VI), Winslow Homer American, Wood engraving — "I Cannot! It Would Be a Sin! A Fearful Sin!" (The Galaxy, An Illustrated Magazine of Entertaining Reading, Vol. VI)
Winslow Homer
September 1868

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.