"Shepherd and his Flock"

DatePossibly ca. 1820

OriginAmerica, New England or New York (probably)

MediumWatercolor, ink, and pin pricking on wove paper

DimensionsPrimary Support: 12 1/8 x 15 3/16in. (30.8 x 38.6cm) and Framed: 14 3/4 x 18in.

Credit LineGift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller

Object number1933.301.1

DescriptionAt center, a sheep lies bleeding from the throat at a shepherd's feet. The shepherd leans on this staff and looks down at the sheep, wearing a top hat, a brown cloak, and long trousers. Behind this central grouping, flowering plants sprout from the ground and two sea shells lie near the shore of a body of water. At far right, a group of six sheep huddle beneath a tree, and a second large tree stands at far left. Four smaller trees appear in the distance. Several birds fly through the air and perch in the tree at left, and six waterfowl bob in the water in the background.
Label TextDawn or dusk is suggested by a pink-tinted horizon and deep shadows beneath the trees and two central figures. Flowering plants, flitting birds, and paddling ducks create an idyllic mood that appears incongruous to the principal drama of the profusely bleeding sheep at the shepherd's feet.

The sheep's coats, some vegetation at left, and the shepherd's cloak have all been perforated back to front with pins to raise and roughen the surface of the paper, thereby simulating the appearance of embroidered French knots. Very fine perforations form the sheep's bodies, while larger ones distinguish the shrubbery and cloak. The watercolor stippling used to suggest tree leaves is also reminiscent of the appearance of needlework.
ProvenanceHelen M. Shevlin (Cambridge, MA); L. Earle Rowe (possibly through Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI); Abby Aldrich Rockefeller; given to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in 1933.