Pretty Baa-Lambs 1852

Curator: Let's discuss Ford Madox Brown's "Pretty Baa-Lambs," painted in 1852 and currently residing at the Ashmolean Museum. What strikes you initially? Editor: A rather idyllic scene. There's something serene, almost melancholic, about the way the light falls across the field, doesn't it? The sheep scattered like fluffy clouds enhance the sensation. Curator: Indeed. Beyond the picturesque scene, the deliberate layering of social roles and material culture intrigues me. Look at the fabric of the woman's dress, presumably silk or a high-quality linen, and consider its cost and the labour involved in its creation, contrasting with the simple attire of the woman gathering plants or herbs on the left. The consumption represented here versus the production. Editor: Yes, the dress. It suggests wealth and status. It's juxtaposed, of course, with the lambs, potent symbols of innocence and pastoral simplicity, but also religious sacrifice, of course. Notice how the central woman mirrors the lamb on the right, creating an echo. She’s elevated, iconic. Curator: The choice of oil-paint itself is telling. Its ability to capture such details as the texture of the wool or the sheen of the fabric reinforces the emphasis on materiality, creating a tactile sense, a feeling of touching the surface of things. Editor: And consider what lambs traditionally mean – purity, gentleness, perhaps a connection to Christ. Placing the child there could imbue the scene with religious connotations, or is he perhaps inviting viewers to see an analogy with an innocent Adam at the idyllic pre-Fall garden of Eden, where people lived alongside tamed and friendly beasts. Curator: The woman’s pose is important to unpack through its construction of motherhood and a commentary on access and denial regarding childcare within working or middle classes in Victorian society. Editor: A lovely image and fascinating exploration! Curator: It’s certainly more intricate when seen from different perspectives. Editor: I agree, thank you.