A Peasant Carrying Milk Pales

Rembrandt van Rijn depicted this figure of rural labor with characteristic attention to gesture and movement. A peasant carries milk pails, the weight and balance of the load suggested through careful observation of posture.

Such studies of working people reflect Rembrandt's broad interest in humanity at all levels of society. The work may be an etching or drawing rather than a painting, as Rembrandt produced hundreds of prints depicting everyday subjects. It's in the collection of the National Gallery in London.