A Sheep Resting c. 1800 - 1810

James Ward made this study of a resting sheep sometime in the early 19th century, with watercolor and graphite on paper. The materials here – humble ones – are put to the service of close observation. The graphite gives the sheep its form, and the watercolor is applied with delicate touches. But consider, too, the sheep itself. Ward made many such studies of animals, and this one captures a subject that was becoming central to the British economy. Wool production was big business at the time, and the landscape was being reorganized around it. So although this drawing seems a quiet pastoral scene, there is an economic engine at work behind it. The materials used to depict the animal are simple, but the context is complex, tied to labor, trade, and a changing world.