Ancient Oil Painting French Barbizon School Animals Horses 19th Century

  

Hello, I am selling this painting with a height of 36 cm and a width of 55 cm. It is a superb oil on wood, possibly painted by a French artist (signature in the lower left corner, unreadable to me) at the end of the 19th or early 20th century, before 1950, depicting a scene of what appears to be potato harvesting, a labor that sees men and animals united in a continuous effort, bent, contorted, and/or pulling a very heavy load, through an impressive array of figures and movements, represented, like everything else, under appearances that are both realistic and abstract. This paradoxical stylistic combination is a major factor in the unique character of the work, unlike any other, but it is even more the central procession that manages to turn a terribly mundane and laborious moment of harvest into a receptacle of intensity.

The horses' heads have much more detailed features than the human heads, completely devoid of expressions; they would almost be more human than the real ones if the bodies on which they rest were not articulated! Artistic shortcut, subliminal message that would suggest that when man is pushed to the depths of exhaustion (the horses undoubtedly less exhausted due to their superior physical abilities) in a mechanical and exhausting task, he loses his humanity... The mystery is complete but quite intriguing. Also noteworthy is the wonderful rendering of the sky, with atmospheric and therefore colorful tones, just as intense as below, a source of very beautiful lighting effects, both through the clouds and the characters, the colors covering the composition, unusual and almost tortured here and there, perhaps also to translate the generalized exhaustion that emanates from the procession, or the beautiful depth effect of the painting, which extends far into the forests in the background. The composition, despite various signs of wear here and there, in the form of small superficial losses, a few small dots and holes, light traces, a multitude of small cracks, inherent to the passage of time, and two vertical cracks less than 1 mm wide, one towards the middle, more discreet than the other, towards the right edge (they can also be guessed on the back of the panel but they do not present, for me, any risks of worsening if the support is handled well) is in a good general state of preservation and fully retains its captivating power. The cracks become more discreet from a distance of about 3 meters; regardless of the distance, they are also likely to be even more discreet depending on the light in the room and the viewing angle (an example with the fourth photo), or on the contrary much less; so it will be up to you to choose the most appropriate location if you want an optimum result. The panel is not perfectly flat, but this is quite discreet.

In the second and third photos, the right part is slightly in the shade, which is not the case in reality; see the fourth for an accurate view of this area. The photos were taken under skylights created by my Velux windows, during a relatively sunny afternoon. After numerous tests, I realized that the color rendering in the second photo, with the equipment I have, is the one that most faithfully reproduces, regardless of the distance, what can be observed in conditions that most people would consider "normal", namely those that would offer a good compromise between sufficient light source and nuanced colors without excess. However, note that computer or mobile screens other than mine, depending on their brightness and contrast, may more or less modify the results I have achieved. With these elements in mind, you can nevertheless consider my photos as sufficiently representative sources of reality, in observation conditions similar to those described above.

Attention collectors, people attracted to vintage items, curiosities, decorative objects, or simply admiring their intrinsic beauty! It's a great gift idea. Shipping will be done with care, unless you prefer hand delivery, which is entirely possible if you make the trip. WARNING: All my shipments include insurance proportional to the value of the item. Therefore, in order for this to be taken into account, if the box is damaged, even slightly, or opened, even partially, you must ask the delivery person to note any reservations, if it is a shipment with the Post Office, or refuse the package with the personnel at the relay point, if it is a shipment with Mondial Relay, UNLESS. You must ask them to do so. You have the option to request reservations.

With the scan box of the shipping notes. Then you can receive the package, before they scan the shipping note or perform any other operation confirming that you have received the package; in other words, be sure to check the condition of the box, not omitting any place, in these two cases before they take action.

In the case of Mondial Relay, if you refuse to receive it, the package will be kept by the relay point to be returned to the expertise service, for verification to report the responsibility of the carrier and make the insurance effective (information gleaned from their site). As for the Post Office, if delivery is made to your mailbox because the package dimensions allow it, without hand delivery, and the box is sufficiently damaged, you must return it to the nearest post office without opening it, asking the counter staff to return the package to me (information gathered from their site), also in preparation for a verification by the delivery service. Feel free to take and keep photos of the damaged box that match mine when I receive it. Please note that in all these cases you may think, for any reason, that the item inside the box remains in perfect condition and therefore accept the package - or not go to the nearest post office -, but the delivery services count on the margin of error, which by the way suits them well since, I repeat, the insurance is then no longer effective due to damage due to the sacred transfer of responsibility from the carrier to the shipper or recipient; less expenses for them since they will not have to pay the insurance amount!

And do not count on shaking the package to determine if the item is broken; unless it is made of glass or ceramics, the sound of breakage is imperceptible. If you have any questions or would like more photos, feel free to let me know.