The Rising Moon
In 1850, Palmer began to make etchings and would create seventeen plates before his death in 1881. He used the medium to reprise and condense significant themes at the heart of his pastoral vision. "The Rising Moon" was the first of his large etchings and combines elements from the artist's early Shoreham period with others seen in trips to Italy and Devon. The attentive shepherd watching over his flock by moonlight recalls pastoral Sussex, the cypresses echo ones Palmer had sketched at the Villa d'Este, and the rolling hills recall those tramped over during summer tours of Devon. At this stage, between states six and seven, Palmer had nearly completed the image released to the Etching Club for circulation in 1857. The image conveys an intense attachment to subtle light effects, ranging from strong moonlight reflected by clouds to gentler tones used to define woolly sheep, and glimmering outlines that pick out medieval buildings within an enveloping landscape.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Rising Moon
- Artist: Samuel Palmer (British, London 1805–1881 Redhill, Surrey)
- Date: ca. 1855
- Medium: Etching; sixth or between sixth and seventh state of nine
- Dimensions: Sheet: 4 5/8 × 7 5/8 in. (11.8 × 19.3 cm)
Mount: 11 7/8 × 8 1/2 in. (30.2 × 21.6 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Margaret Murray and Michael Blodget, 2018
- Object Number: 2018.898.1
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Samuel Palmer
1880
Samuel Palmer
1880
Samuel Palmer
1850
Samuel Palmer
1850
Samuel Palmer
1857
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.