In the Chequered Shade
Date1861
Artist
Samuel Palmer
(English draftsman and painter, 1805–1881)
MediumWatercolor over pencil heightened with gouache and gum arabic
Dimensions7 15/16 × 17 in. (20.2 × 43.2 cm)
frame: 16 3/8 × 25 1/8 in. (41.6 × 63.8 cm)
frame: 16 3/8 × 25 1/8 in. (41.6 × 63.8 cm)
Credit LineF. V. du Pont Acquisition Fund, 2019
Object number2019-2
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDRAWING
Label TextThe title of this watercolor is taken from John Milton’s pastoral poem, "L’Allegro," an important source for the artist throughout his life. Palmer depicts a woman carrying an urn of water on her head at the right with a hunting party chasing a stag `in the chequered shade’ to the left. He was one of a group of artists influenced by William Blake called The Ancients, who worked just slightly prior to the formation of the PRB. The group’s often spiritual landscapes depicted with a certain naiveté were particularly influential on the young Pre-Raphaelite painters.
