Shepherd and Shepherdess

Unknown

1700–1730 · Linen embroidered with silk thread · The American Wing

A variation on a common design source can be seen in this embroidered scene of a piping shepherd and shepherdess posed within a pastoral landscape. Dressed in contemporary costume, the figures stand as emblems of courtship in a luxuriant garden that conjures up associations with springtime, youth, and fertility.

Artist: Unknown
Date: 1700–1730
Medium: Linen embroidered with silk thread
Culture: American
Department: The American Wing
Credit line: Rogers Fund, 1913

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