Peasants digging for potatoes, a donkey seen beyond

A preparatory study for this drawing dated circa 1862-6, was sold in these rooms, 9 April 1976, part of lot 166. A similar, earlier drawing of the same subject is in the Louvre (inv. RF 5769; Millet, One Hundred Drawings, R. Bacou, Paris, 1975, p. 134, no. 62).

We are grateful to Dr Alexandra Murphy for confirming the attribution on the basis of a photograph and for her help in cataloguing this drawing.