ticketsMember | Make a donation

Barnyard Scene

Etcher Francis Place British
After Francis Barlow British
Publisher Pierce Tempest British
ca. 1683
Not on view
A cock and hen appear here in animated conversation before other barnyard fowl and an interested boar in a sty. The down-to-earth imagery relates to Barlow's illustrations for 1666 and 1668 editions of Aesop's Fables, although in this instance no moral is specified and the viewer is left to draw his or her own comparisons between the dynamics of the poultry yard and the foibles of human society. Naturalistic details, such as the foreground plants and the crumbling wall, underscore the character of the scene and have been freely etched by Place, an innovative native printmaker.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Barnyard Scene
  • Etcher: Francis Place (British, 1647–1728 York)
  • Artist: After Francis Barlow (British, Lincolnshire ca. 1626–1704 London)
  • Publisher: Pierce Tempest (British, 1653–1717)
  • Date: ca. 1683
  • Medium: Etching
  • Dimensions: 5 1/2 x 7 1/8in. (14 x 18.1cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.3.2867
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Helmeted head, Francis Place British, Etching; copy by Francis Place
Helmeted head
Multiple artists/makers
1662–78
Helmeted head, Francis Place British, Etching; copy in reverse by Francis Place
Helmeted head
Multiple artists/makers
1662–78
Helmeted head, Francis Place British, Etching; only state (copy in reverse)
Helmeted head
Multiple artists/makers
1662–78
Two Stags and a Doe in a Forest
Multiple artists/makers
1680–90
Helmeted head, Francis Place British, Etching
Helmeted head
Multiple artists/makers
1662–78

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.