Landscape with a Milkmaid (c. 1525): Art, History and Details

Landscape with a Milkmaid (c. 1525) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Niccolo Boldrini (Italian, c. 1500–after 1566); Titian (Italian, c. 1488–1576).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

In the 1520s, Venetian painter Titian began to take landscape from the quiet pastorals of his predecessors to actively dramatic scenes, such as this one, in which nature seems a protagonist in a narrative. While some motifs—such as the eagle—suggest symbolic meaning, it is impossible to pin down a specific story. Titian worked with block cutter Niccolo Boldrini to translate his drawing into print, and the result captures the expressive vision of Titian’s works, with their variety of forms and textures and emphasis on dramatic, atmospheric light.

Object facts

• Title: Landscape with a Milkmaid
• Date: c. 1525
• Creator attribution: Niccolo Boldrini (Italian, c. 1500–after 1566); Titian (Italian, c. 1488–1576)
• Culture: Italy
• Type: Print
• Technique: woodcut
• Dimensions: Image: 37.6 x 53 cm (14 13/16 x 20 7/8 in.); Sheet: 37.6 x 53 cm (14 13/16 x 20 7/8 in.)
• Collection: PR - Woodcut
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1969.307

A detail from the museum

Milkmaids and shepherds such as those appearing in this print exemplified the idea of Arcadia, an idyllic realm of unspoiled nature inspired by Roman poet Virgil (70–19 BCE) and a popular concept in the Renaissance.

Collection credit

Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Prasse Collection

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.