Jean-Francois Millet

Jean-Francois Millet(1814-1875)was born into a French peasant family, his parents working long hours each day as labourers in the fields. His love of nature and the Bible were instilled by a devout grand­mother and parents who nurtured him in the faith. Millet was particularly attracted to the beautiful engrav­ings in the family Bible, which became the inspiration for many of his paintings. His talent was recognized by his father and the parish priests, who provided him with the advantages of an excellent education. Steeped in mythology, Greek and Latin, Shakespeare and Milton, the literature of the classic spiritual mystics, and the Bible (which he called ‘the painter's book’) Millet was urged by his family to grow in his faith and to live so that ‘all your desire should be to praise God by thought, word and deed.’ His grandmother was a source of particular spiritual encouragement, telling Millet to ‘paint for eternity ... and to never lose sight of the presence of God.’ Many of Millet's paintings depicted the life of the peasant, causing him to be often called ‘the peasant painter.’ The painting we are considering is very much a reflection of his personal childhood experience of observing this traditional prayer of his faith and culture.