A Farmer Entrusting the Plow to His Son
Jean-Baptiste Greuze was the master of sentimental storytelling, and this lively sketch captures a classic moral tale from 18th-century France. An aging farmer dramatically hands over the family plow and oxen to his son, surrounded by a chaotic crowd of weeping relatives and cheering neighbors. You can almost hear the commotion as the dog barks and the wheels turn, symbolizing the heavy burden of agricultural duty passing to the next generation. Greuze’s drawings like this were often studies for larger paintings that taught viewers about virtue and hard work.
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