Return from the Vintage 1808

Bartolomeo Pinelli made this watercolor and etching, Return from the Vintage. The artist, active in Rome, was known for depicting the life of the *popolo*, or common people, in prints and drawings. Here, Pinelli uses traditional materials to represent manual labor. The figures are carrying woven baskets. Look at the way these are rendered, almost as if they are extensions of the human form. The baskets’ simple construction – plied strands of fiber, woven together to form a sturdy container – is the quiet underpinning of the scene. The weight of labor comes through in the weary posture of the man slumped against the rocks, his own basket cast aside. The return from the vintage – the grape harvest – is a moment of both completion and exhaustion. Pinelli elevates this everyday scene, demonstrating the value of labor through the skilled application of line and color. It is a reminder that even the most humble materials and activities can be imbued with artistry and dignity.