Antique Oil Painting, Barbizon School, DLG, 19th Century, Mountain, Church, Pyrenees

  

Hello, I am selling this painting, which measures 63 cm wide by 48 cm high, or 70 cm by 55 cm including the frame. It is a superb oil on panel, signed in the lower right E. Brantonne and dated 95, for 1995. It depicts a village whose central position in this very expansive view with panoramic ambitions gives it the charming impression of having been placed right there, in the middle of an embracing, hilly landscape dominated by snow-covered mountains. It is a village that strongly reminds me of those found at the foot of the Pyrenees, and in particular in the Pays de la Neste, where I have been used to spending time since childhood, a few times a year, on holiday.

Anyone who connects with this evocation of a bygone era, and yet one that still lives within us, will not remain indifferent, as I was not, to the deep sense of nostalgia that emerges at every moment from this work, a return to the roots of an essential part of rural France, in what it has most authentic and most timeless, resisting, for better or worse, the passage of time, that something intangible I would call History and Heritage, this wandering through streets that are more or less narrow, covered here with greyish stones of a typical hue, and there dominated by slate roofs, these other remnants of past centuries, girls’ school/boys’ school, the restored town hall, certainly, but whose intrinsic structure, the railing of the massive stone staircase, worn over time by the weight of hundreds of schoolchildren who sat on it during recess, remain, not far from the church, which was, is, and will continue to be a welcome landmark, and even more, a landmark in time. Let us highlight the remarkable quality of execution of the work, with a definite realism, a very harmonious choice of colors, welcome paint effects, and genuine attention to many details. Despite traces of wear here and there, light and not serious, a few small black horizontal or vertical marks in places, I do not know what they are but they are of no consequence and are only visible from fairly close up, as well as a few touch-ups, quite well done, discreet up close, almost invisible from two or three meters away, the painting is in good, even very good condition.

The frame, for its part, is in good overall condition despite a few light signs of wear, a few small stains and bits of dirt, and features wood with a beautiful chromatic depth, with even, at times, some lovely grain. The panel appears to be in excellent condition despite a few small brown spots, which in my opinion can easily be removed with proper cleaning.

The whole piece is ready to hang thanks to a cord that seems to me to be very sturdy. The photos were taken in natural light on a sunny afternoon, in a very well-lit room. The first two are sufficiently faithful to the actual color rendering under these same conditions, although reasonable differences are possible depending on your interior and the display settings of the screen you use to view the listing. Please note that “unsightly” effects appear, such as slight streaks, especially in the first two photos; these effects are absolutely not present in reality.

Hand delivery is entirely possible if you are able to travel. For this to be taken into account, it is imperative that if the box is damaged, sufficiently so (it is up to you to determine this upon inspection) in any place whatsoever, and/or opened, even partially, you ask the courier to note reservations, if it is a shipment by La Poste, or that you refuse the parcel at the relay point staff, if it is a relay-point shipment, EXCEPT if, and you must ask them this, you have the possibility to note reservations using the shipping label scanning device - then you may accept the parcel afterward - before they scan the shipping label or perform any other operation confirming that you have indeed collected the parcel; in other words, ask to carefully check the condition of the box, without omitting any area, in both cases before they act. In the case of a relay-point delivery, if you refuse receipt, the parcel will be kept by the relay point in order to be returned to the inspection service, for verification aimed at establishing the responsibility of the delivery personnel and making the insurance effective (information gathered from their website) if the item is damaged. Regarding La Poste, if the delivery is made to your mailbox because the parcel size allows it, and therefore without hand delivery, and if the box is sufficiently damaged (the degree of damage is for you to determine), you must take it to the nearest post office without opening it, asking the counter staff to return the parcel to me (information gathered from their website), again in anticipation of a delivery service verification, EXCEPT if, as in the relay-point case, the postal staff can note reservations.

In all cases, do not hesitate to take photos of the damaged and/or opened box. You may think, for any reason, that the item inside the box remains in perfect condition despite the parcel being damaged sufficiently (again, this is for you to determine upon inspection) and/or opened, even partially, and therefore that you do not need to make reservations, or that you accept the parcel if reservations cannot be made; but be aware that this is like playing Russian roulette, since delivery services count on the margin for error, which, incidentally, suits them very well because, I repeat, insurance is then no longer effective due to damage because of the sacred transfer of responsibility from the courier to the sender or recipient; less expense for them, then, since they will not have to pay the insurance amount! And do not rely on shaking the parcel to determine whether the item is broken; unless it is glass or ceramic, the sound of breakage is imperceptible, or it may simply be a protective element inside the parcel. Make sure to communicate all of this if a third party is collecting the parcel on your behalf. If, however, the condition of the returned item is different from what it was when I sent it, but no proof makes it possible to determine that the delivery personnel are responsible, then there will be no refund, because even with excellent packaging, it can happen not only that shocks during transport are extremely severe, but also that this occurs without external damage, meaning to the box.

These things may not have happened during the initial shipment, and may perhaps have been avoided if the buyer had collected the parcel and thus prevented a second transport, theoretically involving twice as much risk for the item. If you have any questions or would like more photos, please feel free to let me know.

PS: I have other paintings on my profile.