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The Morning of Life

Print
1860 - 1861 (etched)
Artist/Maker
Palmer, Samuel (artist)
Palmer, Samuel (etcher)
Place of origin
England (etched)

Etching of a woodland scene in a Classical idiom: sunlight shines through the trees, illuminating two boys gathering fallen apples on a river-bank. In the shadows, sturdy shepherds wash sheep in the river, and a ram is being dragged towards the river by two cherubic boys.

Object details

Category
Prints
Object type
Print
TitleThe Morning of Life (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Etching print on paper
Printing Ink
Paper
Etching
Brief description
'The Morning of Life'. Woodland scene in a Classical idiom, featuring two boys gathering fallen apples on a river-bank. Etching print (proof) by Samuel Palmer. Etching started 1860-61.
Physical description
Etching of a woodland scene in a Classical idiom: sunlight shines through the trees, illuminating two boys gathering fallen apples on a river-bank. In the shadows, sturdy shepherds wash sheep in the river, and a ram is being dragged towards the river by two cherubic boys.
Dimensions
  • Height: 18.1cm
  • Width: 25.2cm
  • Etched surface height: 13.6cm
  • Etched surface width: 20.8cm
Taken from the dimensions given in the Victoria and Albert Museum Catalogue of the Prints, Drawings, Paintings & Photographs Collections and converted from inches to centimetres.
Production typeProof
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'S. Palmer' (Signed.)
  • 'Samuel Palmer, unfinished 1869' (Inscribed in pencil.)
Object history
The final state of the plate was published in Etchings for the Art Union of London by the Etching Club, 1872, plate 13. There were several titles given to this plate at various stages: 'Hercules and Cacus', 'Sheep-washing' and 'A Leafy Dell'.
Plate destroyed.
Production
Etching started 1860-61.

Attribution note: Trial proof
Subjects depicted
Pastoral
Shepherds
Sheep
Rivers
Woodlands
River
Boys
Trees
Apples
Ram
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Catalogue of an Exhibition of Drawings, Etchings & Woodcuts by Samuel Palmer and other Disciples of William Blake October 20 - December 31, 1926. London : Published under the authority of the Board of Education, 1926. Publication No. 178 E.I.D.
  • Catalogue of an Exhibition of Drawings, Etchings & Woodcuts by Samuel Palmer and other Disciples of William Blake October 20 - December 31, 1926. London : Published under the authority of the Board of Education, 1926. Publication No. 178 E.I.D. pp.80-82.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.642-1920

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O823485/the-morning-of-life-print-palmer-samuel/
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