Old Painting in Oil: Auvergne School of Barbizon, Countryside, Cows, Castle

  

Hello, I am selling this painting with a height of 37 cm and a width of 64 cm if we only consider the painted part. It is a superb oil on canvas mounted on a wooden panel, signed at the bottom right by M Berthalan and dated 1945, representing the banks of the Ain, a river whose name is carried by one of our departments.

The scene, bathed in a fairly warm yellow light whose hue peaks in the water in the foreground, remarkable in its realism both in color and in its undulations, transports us into the conditions of perhaps a summer afternoon, a feeling reinforced by the presence of this farmer and his cow in the shade to drink, while a fisherman goes about his business on a boat. The watercourse, behind which the edge of the woods is outlined, composed of a row of well-stocked trees, superbly well executed and reflecting some of their leaves the summer gleams, is not only dominated by the other side of the bank, steep cliffs covered in green where a castle sits on the right flank, but also by this superbly clouded sky to perfection. This landscape strongly reminds me of a place where I have been walking since my childhood and which is located in Lacroix-Falgarde, on the banks of the Garonne, minus the castle. The painting itself is in very good overall condition, with only a few minimal signs of wear here and there and some kind of small masses, fortunately discreet enough; perhaps they serve for the good adhesion of the canvas on the panel. A notable detail, it seems to have been varnished fairly recently, which explains why it can reflect several reflections depending on the light and angle of view, in return the colors are magnified.

As for the frame, it displays a patinated aspect probably intentional, and also remains in very good overall condition. Note, especially visible up close, a slight yellowing/browning at the level of the clouds (the phenomenon is difficult to reproduce in photos even if one can guess it) which may suggest dirt, but after various observations and several opinions from different people gathered, it is highly likely that it is paint effects aiming to reproduce certain nuances of a cloudy sky.

The photos were taken under a skylight created by my Velux, on an afternoon delivering a soft winter light. After numerous tests, I realized that the rendering of colors in the first two photos, with the equipment that is mine, is the one that most faithfully reproduces what one can observe in conditions that most people could consider as "normal", namely those that would offer a good compromise between sufficient light source and nuanced colors without excess. However, please note that computer or mobile phone screens other than mine, and 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 shots 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 admirers of their intrinsic beauty! It's a great gift idea. The shipment will be made seriously, unless you prefer a hand delivery, which is entirely possible if you make the trip. WARNING: All my shipments include insurance proportional to the value of the item. Also, in order for this to be taken into account, if the cardboard is (sufficiently) damaged, it is imperative that you refuse the package from the personnel at the relay point or from the delivery person, depending on the chosen mode of shipment, before they scan the shipping label or perform any other operation confirming that you have received the package; therefore, make sure to check the condition of the cardboard, not omitting any place, before they act. If you refuse the reception, the package will be kept by the relay point or the delivery person in order to be returned to me, for a verification by the delivery service to report the responsibility of the delivery person and make the insurance effective (information gathered on the Mondial Relay and La Poste websites).

If the delivery is made in your mailbox because the dimensions of the package allow it, without hand delivery therefore, with La Poste, and the cardboard is damaged, you must return it to the nearest post office without opening it. Please note that in all these cases you may think, for any reason, that the object 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 human error, which by the way suits them well since, I repeat, the insurance is then no longer effective due to damage; less expenses for them therefore! And don't count on shaking the package to determine if the object is broken; unless it is made of glass or ceramic, the sound of breakage is imperceptible.

If you have any questions or would like more photos, please let me know.