The Milkmaid 1510
lucasvanleyden
minneapolisinstituteofart
print, engraving
medieval
landscape
figuration
genre-painting
northern-renaissance
engraving
realism
Lucas van Leyden's "The Milkmaid" is a detailed drawing from 1510 depicting a scene of rural life. The composition features a woman milking a cow while a man stands nearby with a staff. The artist's keen observation of the natural world is evident in the cows' anatomy and the surrounding trees and foliage. The scene is intimate and realistic, reflecting the everyday life of common people, a popular theme for artists of the Northern Renaissance. The drawing is currently held in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Comments
Traditionally, Lucas's The Milkmaid was hailed as one of the first pure, genre subjects in northern European art. Superficially, the shepherd and milkmaid are performing the mundane chores of rural, daily life. However, in subsequent scholarship, erotic overtones have been suggested --specifically, an allegory of lust and free will. The basis of this thesis is the word melkan (to milk) in 16th century Dutch connoted lokken (to lure). Lustful intent has been perceived in the poses and costumes of the figures, landscape details, and prominently placed cattle.
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