Jean-François Millet

Madame Veuve Millet (and sold: her sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 24-25, 1894, lot 159, as La Tondeuse)
Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 8, 1987, lot 14, illustrated

Paper laid down on paper; hinged to mat at reverse center top edge with tape. Original paper is light struck most noticeably along lower edge.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

La Tonte du Mouton is a particularly interesting compositional sketch for Millet’s large Sheepshearers (Private Collection, Japan) of 1861. Millet had worked out  the basic composition several years earlier for a series of a smaller painting, a watercolor, and a black crayon drawing.  But the unaccustomed grand scale of the work intended for the Salon clearly prompted Millet to reconsider the spatial disposition of his figures.  With the heavy shadowing surrounding the female sheepshearer in this drawing, Millet gives the first indication of his decision to move his second figure, a farmer holding the sheep, deeper into the background in order to strongly spotlight the shearer herself.  

Please note this work is sold unframed.