The Milkmaid / Lucas Van Leyden
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1961/1.160
- Title
- The Milkmaid
- Artist
- Lucas Van Leyden
- Artist Nationality
- Dutch
- Artist Life Dates
- 1494-1533
- Medium and Support
- engraving on laid paper
- Object Creation Date
- 1510
- Object Creation Place
- Europe
- Dutch
- Creation Place 1
- Europe
- Creation Place 2
- Dutch
- Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Inscription
- Signed and dated, on plate, on tablet, l.c.: L 1510 Two collectors marks on back Ex-collectors: Paul Davidsohn (Lugt 654); Gustav von Rath (Lugt 2772)
- Dimensions
- 11.5 cm x 15.5 cm (4 1/2 in. x 6 1/8 in.)
- Century
- 16th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Primary Object Type
- intaglio print
- Secondary Object Classification
- Secondary Object Type
- black and white print
- Physical Description
- This engraving is horizontally oriented. The length of a cow (with its head to the left and its tail to the right) is the focal point, taking up about a third of the image. At the cow’s head on the left, a barefooted man with a hat leans on a pole and rests his arm on a tree trunk. Behind the man is another cow with horns and he is standing in front of a building. The ground is rocky and a fence made of thin tree trunks runs along the background. At the cow’s tail on the right, is a peasant woman with bare feet. Her head is covered with a cloth and she labors to carry a heavy wooden milk bucket. Several trees and another cow are behind her. A small plaque on the ground in the foreground contains an inscription.
- Subject Matter
- Van Leyden depicts a cowherd and milkmaid. Van Leyden made at least 168 engravings in less than 30 years, which were mostly signed with an ‘L’ and dated from 1508 onwards. The artist’s early prints did not conform to the contemporary practices, making the technique and iconography distinct. However, around the time of “The Milkmaid”, he chose more conventional subjects. Van Leyden was the first Dutch artist to establish, while he was still alive, an international reputation as an engraver. In the 17th century, Rembrandt was inspired by Van Leyden’s engraving of the "Ecce Homo", 1510.
- Secondary Keywords
- animal material
- animal material by form or function
- animals and creatures
- buildings and the land
- descriptors
- excretions and secretions
- inorganic material
- mammals
- materials
- materials by composition
- materials by origin
- open spaces
- open spaces and site elements
- open spaces by location or context
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by gender
- yards
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 1001 x 761
- File Size
- 114 KB
- Record
- 1961/1.160
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1961-sl-1.160/1961_1.160.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1961-SL-1.160:1961_1.160.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"The Milkmaid; Lucas Van Leyden." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1961-sl-1.160/1961_1.160.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 23, 2024.
