Constant Troyon
French, 1810–1865
The Gooseherd
c. 1850–55
The gooseherd in Troyon’s painting drives his flock along a country road, the birds casting long shadows in the bright sunlight. In contrast to the artist’s earlier, more controlled style, the quick, lively brushwork gives this scene a sense of movement. Fellow painter Camille Roqueplan probably inspired this more spontaneous approach, urging Troyon to “interpret what he felt” when painting nature.
| Medium | oil on panel |
| Dimensions | 18 3/16 x 14 5/8 in. (46.2 x 37.1 cm) Frame: 26 x 22 1/2 x 3 3/8 in. (66 x 57.2 x 8.6 cm) |
| Object Number | 1955.550 |
| Acquisition | Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955 |
| Status | Off View |
Image Caption
Constant Troyon, The Gooseherd, c. 1850–55, oil on panel. Clark Art Institute, 1955.550
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EUROPEAN PAINTINGS CATALOGUE ENTRY
Provenance
Viscount de Saint Pierre, Paris (until 1872, his sale, Drouot, Paris, 22 Jan. 1872, no. 14, as Jeune garçon conduisant un troupeau d’oies, sold to Pillet-Will); Count Frédéric Alexis Louis Pillet-Will, Paris (1872–d. 1911); Maurice or Frédéric Pillet-Will, his son, by descent (1911–19); [Galerie J. Allard, Paris, sold to Knoedler, 1919]; [Knoedler, Paris, sold to Clark, 31 Oct. 1919]; Robert Sterling Clark (1919–55); Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1955.
