The Shepherd's Song
1891 · Oil on canvas · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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About this work
- Artist
- Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (1824–1898)
- Year
- 1891
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 104.5 × 109.9 cm
- Collection
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Movement
- Symbolism
Three figures gather on a pale rocky shore beneath tall blue-grey cliffs: a woman in a yellow robe crouches with her head in her hand, a red-haired figure bare to the waist leans on a rock gazing upwards, and a woman in a cream shawl and rose robe carries a bronze pail. High on the slope at left a young shepherd sits playing a pipe above two black goats, and a sliver of blue sea shows between the cliffs. Puvis painted it in 1891, basing it on one of his own murals, and its muted colours recall early Italian frescoes. The Metropolitan Museum bought it in 1906.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Chalky lavender, sand and soft blue make a calm, airy picture for a living room, hallway or study. Pair it with Gauguin's Fatata te Miti at 24×36 in a dark wood frame.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Symbolism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1891)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- living room, hallway or entryway, study or library, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; dark wood warms it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is The Shepherd's Song in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Shepherd's Song painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.




























