Jean-François Millet

Probably, Théodore Rousseau, Barbizon (acquired from the artist); (his posthumous sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 27th April -  2nd May 1868, lot 558 (titled Une Moisson: paysans chargeant une charrette))
Emile Gavet, Paris (his sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 11th-12th June 1875, lot 85)
M Détrimont, France
Lothrop Collection, Boston (acquired from the above; sale: Sotheby's, New York, 23rd May 1996, lot 34)
Purchased at the above sale by the late owner

Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, 1933 (on loan)
Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Jean-François Millet, 1984
Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin - Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Linie, Licht und Schatten. Meisterzeichnungen und Skulpturen der Sammlung Jan und Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 1999, no. 93, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Venice, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, The Timeless Eye. Master Drawings from the Jan and Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski Collection, 1999, no. 110, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Miradas sin Tiempo. Dibujos, Pinturas y Esculturas de la Coleccion Jan y Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 2000, no. 121, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

The sheet is not laid down, but is at present attached at points of all four extreme edges to the backboard, and is undulating slightly. As just visible in the catalogue illustration there are faint spots of foxing and traces of old adhesive residue near the extreme upper edge. There is a tiny tear in the upper part of the extreme right edge. Apart from slight yellowing of the sheet with age, this work is in good overall condition. Presented in a simple gilt and black-painted frame, with the edges of the sheet visible and not covered by the mat, under glass.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present work depicts the farm wagon and workers that became the focal feature of the background of Millet's major oil The Gleaners exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1857, now in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay (fig. 1). 

After quitting Paris and arriving in the village of Barbizon in 1849, Millet was particularly drawn to the large-scale farming activities on the Chailly Plain beyond the village that produced wheat to supply Paris and for export, and that set the pace of agricultural life for the surrounding area. 

The subsequent sketches and finished works that he completed in the early 1850s examined a wide range of farming and foresting activities, through the actions of individual farmers or small groups of workers, and he often depicted single figures in rather contrived, shallow spaces. By the middle of the decade, however, he was much more knowledgable about the overall process of wheat farming, and more importantly, he had developed the skills to illustrate and demonstrate that complexity artistically. In the present work, Millet creates an entire composition around the wagon and horses that are only one element of the extensive scene that lies behind the three main figures in The Gleaners.

The social and political issues that underlay such paintings as The Gleaners - notably the ennobling of the peasant classes - courted considerable controversy, and consequently Millet often found his paintings difficult to sell. He therefore turned instead to drawings, in which he explored similar subjects in a more detailed but less didactic way, and which appealed to a small group of committed collectors.

It is very likely that Paysans chargeant du blé dans une charrette was first owned by Théodore Rousseau, who helped Millet financially during the difficult years of the 1850s. Later it was acquired by Emile Gavet (1830-1904), the Parisian architect, land speculator and passionate collector. Gavet briefly owned The Angelus, one of a number of Millet's paintings that graced his collection; Gavet also commissioned the major portion of Millet's work in pastel during the second half of the 1860s. Thereafter the present work was acquired by the dealer and frame maker, Détrimont, who purchased it at the sale of Gavet's collection of Millet's pastels and black crayon drawings in 1875. Détrimont acted for a number of Boston collectors, and thus it was that Paysans chargeant du blé dans une charrette made its way to the USA, where it remained until it was offered for sale at Sotheby's in New York in 1996.