Jean-Baptiste Millet, account

 

 

Impressionism, a historical reconstruction:

Jean-Baptiste Millet

(1830-1906)

Account

of his exhibited works

 

Introduction:
On this page you will find an account of the pictures that Jean-Baptiste Millet exhibited at the 2nd ‘impressionist’ exposition in 1876, at the Salon and works that were sold at Hôtel Drouot. For the used sources see at the bottom of the main page about Jean-Baptiste Millet. See link for an overview of his pictures.

 

General overview 1876:

  • catalogue numbers 138 – 147
  • so in total Millet (Jean-Baptiste) exhibited 10 works; including 5 watercolours and 2 sepia drawings
    • 1x an indication of place
    • 0x an indication of time, season or weather
    • 0x a study 
    • 6x a loan: 3x M. Petit (no.140;141; 144); 2x M. Haro (no.139+143); 1x M. Brame (no. 138).
  • Moffett doesn’t give one suggestion what actual works Jean-Baptiste Millet exhibited (R2,p163), nor does Berson, who leaves out Millet, which means there were no reviews (R90II,p40).
  • see link for an impression of the works he showed in 1876.

Reviews:
Emile Blémont (1876/04/09) reviewed in Le Rappel ‘Mr. Jean-Baptiste Millet has given a serie of fresh and caressing rustic watercolours.’ (R90I,p63; iR40//bpt6k7534233r).
In Le National (1876/04/07) he is just mentioned as one of the partakers (iR40//bpt6k6856650b)

1876 catalogue: (R2,p163; iR1)

2IE-1876-138, Femme gardant les vaches (aquarelle); appartient à M. Brame
Eng.: Women guarding the cows (watercolour).
As an uncertain option I render: 18xx, Sbr, Les champs derrière Barbizon, wc, 24×33, A2011/06/05 (iR86).
As very uncertain options I also mention:
18xx, Sbl, Paturage à Chailly (Bergère et ses vaches), wc, 36×28, A2010/04/25 (iR86;iR13) and 18xx, Sbl, Paysanne (Bergère) et ses vaches, wc, 37×28, A2014/03/30 (iR86;iR13); both depicting just two cows.
And also: 18xx, Sbr, Bergère et son troupeau (Shepherdess and her flock), wc, 37×26, A2022/05/14 (iR86;iR11), also depicting sheep and in the distance another shepherdess.

2IE-1876-139, La Ferme (aquarelle); appartient à M. Haro
Eng.: The farm (watercolour). Note: no.143 also belonged to the unknown M. Haro. Compare: S1876-2763 Une ferme; aquarelle. Note: the Salon of 1876 and the 2nd ‘impressionist’ exposition partly exhibited at the same time, so this couldn’t be the same works.
As a very uncertain option I render: 18xx, Sbr, Landscape (HW: with a bending road and a farm), wc, 16×22, A2008/12/11 (iR13).

2IE-1876-140, La Chaumière (aquarelle); appartient à M. Petit
Eng.: Thatched cottage (watercolour). Probably belonging to Georges Petit, like no.141+144.
As a very uncertain option I render: 18xx, Sbr, A landscape with a field of mangold wurzels, dr + wc, 18×25, A2003/07/08 (iR11;R2,p163)

2IE-1876-141, Moulin à eau (aquarelle); appartient à M. Petit
Eng.: The watermill (watercolour). Probably belonging to Georges Petit, like no.140+144.
To compare I render a pastel of his brother Jean-François: 1867-68ca, Moulin à l’eau, pastel, 42×51, A2024/05/16 (iR14;iR10).
To compare I also render a watercolour of Jean-Baptiste himself depicting a village near a river: 18xx, Sbr, Village en bord de rivière, wc, 17×23, A2015/05/27 (iR86).
Compare: HD1877/01/27-68, Moulin à eau, aquarelle.

2IE-1876-142, Coin de ferme
Eng.: Corner of a farm. There is no technique indicated, this mostly means it was an oil painting. But, there are hardly oil paintings known of Jean-Baptiste Millet.
To compare I render a watercolour depicting a corner of a farm: 18xx, Sbr, Cour de ferme (Farmyard), wc, 22×25, A2017/04/25 (iR86;iR241;iR10).

2IE-1876-143, Ferme du Fays; appartient à M. Haro
Eng.: farm in Fays. Note: no.139 also belonged to the unknown M. Haro. There is a village Fays, which lies >400km east of Paris (see map). But, maybe it was a farm that was called Fays or owned by a family called Fays. There is no technique indicated, this mostly means it was an oil painting. But, there are hardly oil paintings known of Jean-Baptiste Millet.
To compare I render a watercolour: 18xx, Sbr, Barbizon, les travaux des champs, wc+g, 16×21, A2021/10/08 (iR10;iR11).

2IE-1876-144, Le pré; appartient à M. Petit
Eng.: the field. Probably belonging to Georges Petit, like no.140+141. There is no technique indicated, this mostly means it was an oil painting. But, there are hardly oil paintings known of Jean-Baptiste Millet.
To compare I render a detail of an oil painting: 18xx, A cowherd watching over his flock in the shade, 30×54, A2001/10/23 (iR11;R2,p163); this work depicts a field, but the shepherd and his flock are more central.
To compare I also render a drawing more explicitly rendering a field: 18xx, Sbr, Landscape with trees (and farm), dr, 18×25?, A2024/09/24 (iR11)

2IE-1876-145, Le verger (sépia)
Eng.: orchard (sepia).
To compare I render an ink wash drawing: 18xx, Sbr, Retour de troupeau (Le chemin vers la ferme), ink wash, 24×31, MTH Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (iR23), depicting probably some fruit trees, so you could say a little orchard; the technique looks a bit like sépia.
To compare I also render a normal drawing explictly depicting an orchard: 18xx, Sbr, Vue d’un verger, dr, 23×37, A2014/03/27 (iR86;iR10;iR13)

2IE-1876-146, Le labourage (sépia rehaussée)
Eng.: Ploughing (enhanced sepia); le labourage has also a broader meaning, namely working in the field.
To compare I render to a normal drawing in which Millet depicts a plough on a ploughed land: 18xx, Sbr, La charrue (The plough), dr, 15×23, A2018/04/27 (iR86;R2,p163). This work has many similarities with an oil painting of his brother Jean-François Millet: The Plain of Chailly with Harrow and Plough (iR6).
Compare also: HD1874/03/07-49, Le labour; sépia.
To compare I also refer to works of other artists, that could also give an impression of what Millet had exhibited: an engraving after a sepia wash drawing of Claude Lorrain (see), depicting cows (not ploughing) in a landscape: 1775, Bucolic scenes of country life (with cows), engraving, 32×40, formerly Mirabelle Antiques Charlotteville. To compare I also render a chalk drawing of Léon-Augustin L’Hermitte (1844-1925) showing a farmer / farmers ploughing: 1xxx, Le labourage, chalk, 39×30, A2023/03/22 (iR11) or: 1xxx, Le labourage, chalk, 39×67, A2017/03/01 (iR11).

2IE-1876-147, La Fermière (aquarelle)
Eng.: the peasant (woman) (watercolour).
As a very uncertain suggestion I render: 18xx, S(verso), Petite paysanne portant une gerbe (Little peasant woman carrying a sheaf), dr+wc+g, 47×56, MTH Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (iR23).

 

 

Jean-Baptiste Millet at the Salon (=S):
Jean-Baptiste Millet exhibited from 1870-1880 at the Salon (=S) and it’s successor the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français (=SdAF).
Note: There were several persons with the last name Millet who exhibited at the Salon: Of course Jean-François Millet, but also Pierre Millet, Aimé Millet, Eugène-Henri Millet, François Millet, Mlle Claire-Henriette Millet, Gustave Millet. (iR1)

S1870-3830, Vue de l’église de Chailly; aquarelle
Eng.: View of the church of Chailly. Probably the Saint-Paul church in Chailly-en-Bière (iR4) (about 60km south-east of Paris; see map). His brother depicted this church in an oil painting (iR6).

S1874-2384, Après la moisson; aquarelle
Eng.: After the harvest (watercolour).

S1874-2385, La ferme de Barbizon; aquarelle (Appartient à M. Tillot)
Eng.: The farm in Barbizon (watercolour). Belonged maybe to Charles Tillot. Jean-Baptiste Millet than lived in Barbizon (see map).

S1874-2386, Le chemin de Fleury; aquarelle (Appartient à M. F. Chaigneau)
Eng.: The road to Fleury (watercolour). Fleury-en-Bière lies just west of Barbizon.

S1875-2570, L’aumône; aquarelle (Appartient à M. H. Rouart)
Eng.: almsgiving (watercolour). Probably belonged to Henri Rouart, but it was not part of his posthumes auction.

S1875-2571, Vieux moulin de la plaine de Choilly; aquarelle (Appartient à M. H. Rouart)
Eng.: Old mill in the fields of Choilly. Choilly probably is an erratum of Chailly(en-Bière), which lies just north of Barbizon where Jean-Baptiste Millet lived at that time (see map). See also S1875-2570.

S1875-2572, La moisson; aquarelle (Appartient à M. F. Chaigneau)
Eng.: the harvest (watercolour)
Millet is summed up by Anatole de Montaiglon as one of the many artists who showed watercolour landscapes at the Salon (iR40)

S1876-2763, Une ferme; aquarelle
Eng.: a farm (watercolour). Compare: 2IE-1876-139 La Ferme (aquarelle); appartient à M. Haro.

S1877-3164, Une cour de ferme; aquarelle.
Eng.: a farm yard (watercolour).

S1877-3165, Une récolte de noix; aquarelle (Appartient à Mme Viguerie)
Eng.: a nut harvest (watercolour).

S1878-3488, Pendant la moisson; aquarelle
Eng.: during the harvest (watercolour).

 

Jean-Baptiste Millet at the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français (=SdAF):

SdAF-1880 5408, Une laveuse; aquarelle
Compare a pastel: 18xx, Sbr, Figures (washerwomen) at a pond, chalk (pastel), 27×38, A2005/12/11 (iR13;iR1).

SdAF-1880-5409, Moulin, environs de Fontainebleau; aquarelle

 

Jean-Baptiste Millet at Hôtel Drouot:
Jean-Baptiste Millet sometimes did sell his works at an auction sale at Hôtel Drouot. More often works of him from collections were sold here.

1874:
1874/03/07 works of Millet and Chaigneau were sold. Many works were made in Barbizon and surroundings. (iR19/ia802807)

HD1874/03/07-45, Vue de Chailly; aquarelle; 140fr.

HD1874/03/07-46, Chemin de Barbizon à Fleury; aquarelle; 204fr.

HD1874/03/07-47, Ferme et village de Barbizon; aquarelle; 182fr.

HD1874/03/07-48, La Plaine en été; aquarelle; 172fr.

HD1874/03/07-49, Le labour; sépia; 91fr.

HD1874/03/07-50, Église et village de Chailly; sépia; 92fr.

HD1874/03/07-51, Entrée de la ferme; sépia; 72fr.

HD1874/03/07-52, Un jardin à Barbizon; sépia; 89fr.

HD1874/03/07-53, Nature morte; sépia.

HD1874/03/07-54, Bouleaux près du Jean-de-Paris (forêt de Fontainebleau); drawing / sketch.
Eng.: Birch trees. Note: I can’t find the location of Jean-de-Paris.

HD1874/03/07-55, Bords de rivière; drawing / sketch.

HD1874/03/07-56, Un ferme à Cély; drawing / sketch.

HD1874/03/07-57, Lavandières; drawing / sketch.
Maybe: 18xx, S-, Les lavandières (The washerwomen), ink, 11×15, A2020/08/03 (iR86).

HD1874/03/07-58, Entrée de village; drawing / sketch; 18fr.

HD1874/03/07-59, Pommier dans les roches; drawing / sketch; 29fr.

HD1874/03/07-60, Le Bois de la Plante-à-Biau (Barbizon); drawing / sketch; 17fr.

HD1874/03/07-61, Sous les pommiers; drawing / sketch; 20fr.

HD1874/03/07-62, Un Hameau; drawing / sketch.

HD1874/03/07-63, Rue de village; drawing / sketch.

HD1874/03/07-64, Un Clos; drawing / sketch.
Eng.: a (court)yard.

HD1874/03/07-65, Plaine de Macherin; drawing / sketch.

HD1874/03/07-66, Environs de Barbizon; drawing / sketch.

HD1874/03/07-67, Roches et pommiers; drawing / sketch; 22fr.

HD1874/03/07-68, Carrefour de village; drawing / sketch.

HD1874/03/07-69, Étude près du bornage (Barbizon); drawing / sketch; 22fr.

HD1874/03/07-70, Les Roches de Saint-Martin; drawing / sketch.

HD1874/03/07-71, Paysage; drawing / sketch; 27fr.

HD1874/03/07-72, Pommiers dans la plaine; drawing / sketch; 17fr.

HD1874/03/07-73, Un verger; drawing / sketch; 17fr.

HD1874/03/07-74, La Passerelle; mine de plomb; 17fr.

 

1877:
3 works of Millet were auctioned from collections 1877/01/27 (gallica.bnf.fr//bpt6k12418670 =iR40)

HD1877/01/27-66, Cour de ferme, sépia.

HD1877/01/27-67, Ferme aux environs de Barbizon, aquarelle.

HD1877/01/27-68, Moulin à eau, aquarelle.

 

1888:
1 work of Millet was auctioned from collections 1888/01/23 (gallica.bnf.fr//bpt6k1244403m  =iR40).

HD1888/01/23-74, Les Blés, aquarelle.

 

 

Recommanded citation: “Impressionism: Jean-Baptiste Millet, an account of his exhibited works. Last modified 2025/06/24.  https://www.impressionism.nl/jean-baptiste-millet-account/.”