Old Painting Canvas Oil School of Barbizon Mountain Levigne Godchaux 19th Century

  

Hello, I am selling this painting that measures 65 cm in height and 55 cm in width. It is a superb oil on canvas, signed at the bottom left "Mosny" for Henry Mosny, a French painter active during the second half of the 19th century. A quick internet search about this artist will reveal other works of his, all sharing a striking resemblance with compositions by two other painters of the same era, Alfred Godchaux and Théodore Levigne. The latter is known for using pseudonyms to avoid being linked to a single art dealer. In this regard, it is noteworthy that Levigne's signature shares similarities, in the form of its letters, with that of Mosny; if we take this reasoning to its conclusion, Mosny could thus be one of Levigne's pseudonyms.

This remains a hypothesis, but it is quite plausible and deserves to be put on the table. The painting in question depicts a mountain landscape with a torrent flowing through it, capturing movements beautifully rendered through the numerous relief effects scattered across its surface; these reliefs are also applied in various places throughout the composition to adorn the rocks, vegetation, and clouds, some of which are at low altitude, set against a scene unfolding undoubtedly at dawn, when the sky is just beginning to show hints of blue, veiled in a milky haze elsewhere. Three figures are already treading the ground of this valley, contributing to the perspective contained in the work, which the painter has also enhanced with effects of mist enveloping the mountains here and there, delicately and almost sensually sculpted.

The composition, despite some minor wear to the canvas here and there, very discreet and even invisible when viewed from at least two meters away— which is, in any case, a widely recommended minimum for this large-scale work— and a few traces of handling scattered across the composition, which has few cracks, is in good general condition since it has benefited from a restoration carried out by myself: - removal of the old varnish - holes and chips repaired with putty, including the gluing of a "patch" at the back to reinforce the restoration of the larger area - previous restoration, very poor, corresponding to the area where a beige patch was glued, completely redone - canvas wear minimized - application of a new varnish giving soft satin reflections depending on the light and viewing angles You will find some before-and-after results in the last photos. The tension of the canvas is perfect. The photos were taken under light wells created by my roof windows, on a relatively sunny afternoon.

After numerous tests, I realized that the color rendering in the second photo, with my equipment, is the one that most faithfully reproduces, regardless of the distance, what can be observed under conditions that most people might consider "normal," offering a good compromise between sufficient light source and nuanced colors without excess. The left part of the sky is less luminous than in the second photo under these same conditions, integrating more harmoniously with the rest of the composition. Attention collectors, those drawn to vintage items, curiosities, decorative objects, or simply admiring their intrinsic beauty!

It makes for an excellent gift idea. In order for this to be taken into account, it is imperative that if the box is damaged sufficiently (it is up to you to determine this upon inspection) at any point, and/or opened, even partially, you ask the delivery person to indicate reservations, if it is a shipment via the Post, or that you refuse the package at the point of sale staff if it is a point of sale shipment, UNLESS, you must then ask them, you have the option to note reservations with the scanning device of the shipping vouchers—then you can receive the package—before they scan the shipping voucher or carry out any other operation confirming that you have indeed received the package; in other words, ask to thoroughly check the condition of the box, not omitting any area, in these two scenarios before they act. Regarding delivery to a point of sale, if your refusal to accept is stated, the package will be kept by the point of sale to be returned to the evaluation service, for verification aimed at reporting the responsibility of the delivery people and making the insurance effective (elements gleaned from their site) in case the item is damaged. Regarding the Post, if delivery occurs in your mailbox because the dimensions of the package allow it, thus without hand delivery, and the box is damaged sufficiently (a nuance that is up to you to determine), you must return it to the closest postal point without opening it, asking the counter staff to return the package to me (elements gathered from their site), again in anticipation of a verification of the delivery service, UNLESS, as in the case of delivery to a point of sale, the postal office staff can indicate reservations. In any case, 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 damaged box, sufficiently (it is up to you to determine upon inspection), and/or opened, even partially, and thus that you do not request to make reservations, or that you accept the package if making reservations is not possible; but know that this amounts to playing Russian roulette since the delivery services rely on the factor of error, which incidentally suits them well since, I repeat, the insurance is then no longer effective due to the sacred transfer of responsibility from the deliverer to the sender or recipient; less expenditure for them since they will not have to pay the amount of the insurance! And do not count on a "shaking" of the package to determine whether the item is broken; unless it is glass or ceramic, the sound of breakage is imperceptible, or it could be a protective element in the package.

Ensure to communicate all these elements in case a third party is picking up the package on your behalf. If, on the other hand, the condition of the returned item is different from what it was at the time I sent it, but no evidence allows for determining that the deliverers are responsible, then there will be no refund, for the reason that even with excellent packaging it can happen that not only are the shocks during transport extremely significant but also that this occurs without any external damage, that is to say, on the box. Things that may not have happened during the initial shipment and that could perhaps have been avoided if the buyer had collected the package and thus prevented a second transport, theoretically involving twice the risks for the item. A handover is entirely possible if you make the trip. 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.