In 1869, Jacque executed a drawing that was very similar in composition to our pastel (see Douwes, Amsterdam, 1985 and Hazlitt, Gooden & Fox, London, 1980). It was a 'three-color' drawing, of which Jacque seems to have made several. The fact that the drawing is dated 1869, when Millet was at the height of his pastel output, suggests that Jacque might well have been taking a clue from Millet, or responding to the pressures of a collector (such as Emile Gavet, the greatest collector of Millet's pastels during his lifetime) or a dealer who was inspired by Millet's pastels.

We are grateful to Alexandra Murphy for her assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.