The Angelus, 1857 59

"The Angelus" is a prayer prayed at dawn, mid-day, and dusk. The painting depicts a wife bringing her husband his mid-day meal in the field. We can almost hear the bells from the church in the background calling the faithful to prayer as the husband and wife stop to pray. It is a religious, specifically a Catholic work of art painted by Jean-Francois Millet beginning in 1857. There is a deeper meaning, however. When examined under x-ray a small coffin can be seen painted under the basket indicating that the couple is also praying for their lost infant. Millet completed the work in 1859. The original can be seen in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.