Old Painting Oil Still Life Hare Fruit Baroque 19th Century

  
Hello, I am selling this painting which measures 44 cm in height and 63 cm in width if we only consider the composition, and 62 cm in height and 80 cm in width when including the frame. You can find a page on the internet, on the site "La Seyne en 1900," detailing some juicy aspects of its personality, particularly subversive and dandy-like, which made him seem like a gentle original. His tragic and early death at just 35 years old occurred after yet another argument with his partner, with whom he had an intense relationship in every sense of the term. Armed with a revolver, she shot him in the chest, just after he had destroyed the portraits he had created in her honor. Nothing can overshadow his immense talent as a painter, of which you can see some works on that same page, which I highly recommend you consult. His talent was not limited to marine paintings, as the artist was also a caricaturist, portraitist, and painter of particularly impactful still lifes. The painting I am offering you, a still life, depicts a hare placed at the center of the composition, stretched out on a kitchen board, with a knife resting against its side.

You can see that its legs and ears extend beyond the board, highlighting the considerable size of this beautiful specimen. In the posture chosen by the painter and frozen by death, there is something of a sense of veneration, a true respect for the life given by this animal, a deep desire to elevate its already elegant appearance in life, as if only death and the artist could capture what cannot be seen otherwise.

The feeling of purity that emanates from it is further enhanced by the almost complete absence of apparent violence, unlike some representations of these same Leporids falling into a form of barbarism and/or disrespect for the beast. Therefore, we should not be surprised that the presence of this knife slightly embedded in the fur, placed in a particularly delicate manner, its shadow included, rather than suggesting violence, suggests the density of the fur, which is superbly rendered from head to feet, with a softness and downiness that one can easily imagine to the touch. The other elements surrounding it, three persimmons, a basket that seems to contain one or two more of these fruits, and a copper coffee pot, complete a composition in which the placement is remarkably judicious and thoughtful, even the string of the board filling a gap; revealing the painter’s mastery, whether in the quality of the line, the rendering of textures, or in the wise combination of certain colors with others; and enjoying a chiaroscuro that enhances its almost religious dimension and its power of seduction.

Despite slight traces of alteration here and there, in the form of small cracks, one of which is more visible between the basket and the coffee pot, at a height (a rather discreet detail under ordinary observation conditions) and which allows light to pass through under certain conditions that do not represent normal observation conditions (the photo revealing this phenomenon must have been taken against the light), some chips here and there, particularly at the base of the knife blade, but presenting no real risk of worsening if care is taken when opening it, very discreet paint losses, and a few spots where hairs have clung, the painting is in good to very good overall condition and has never been restored or re-stretched. The frame is also in good to very good condition, despite some small material losses here and there and minor signs of wear. The painting fits very well in its frame, and the tension of the canvas is excellent. It should be noted that the varnish does not seem perfectly uniform, something that is only visible with reflections (last photos).

The vast majority of the photos were taken on a sunny afternoon in a well-lit room, using the natural light coming through an ordinary window on the right side. After numerous tests, I realized that the color rendering in the second and third photos, with my equipment, is the one that most faithfully reproduces what can be observed under similar conditions.

However, note that computer or mobile phone screens other than mine, depending on their brightness and contrast, may more or less alter the results I achieved. With these points in mind, you can still consider my photos as sufficiently representative of reality, under similar observation conditions as previously described. The third photo gives an idea of the scale of the elements represented in the painting. Attention collectors, those attracted to vintage items, curiosities, decorative objects, or simply admiring their intrinsic beauty!

It’s an excellent gift idea. The shipping will be done with care, unless you prefer a personal pickup, which is entirely possible if you make the trip. The dimensions of the package, with a size exceeding 150 cm, classify it as bulky.

To ensure that the insurance is taken into account, it is imperative, if the box is damaged, sufficiently (it is up to you to determine upon inspection) at any point, and/or opened, even partially, that you ask the delivery person to note reservations if it is a shipment with the Post, or that you refuse the package with the staff at the pickup point, if it is a pickup point shipment, UNLESS, you will therefore need to ask them, you have the option to note reservations with the scanning device of the shipping labels – then you will be able to receive the package – before they scan the shipping label or perform any other operation that confirms you have indeed received the package; in other words, ask them to thoroughly check the condition of the box, not omitting any area, in both cases before they take action. In the case of a delivery at a pickup point, if your refusal to receive is expressed, the package will be kept by the pickup point to be returned to the claims service, for verification aimed at reporting the responsibility of the delivery personnel and making the insurance effective (information gathered from their site) in case the item is damaged. Regarding the Post, if delivery occurs in your mailbox as the dimensions of the package allow it, without personal delivery, and the box is sufficiently damaged (a nuance that it is up to you to determine), you must return it to the nearest postal point without opening it, asking the counter staff to return the package to me (information collected from their site), also in anticipation of verification by the delivery service, UNLESS, as with the case of delivery at a pickup point, 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 package, sufficiently (it is up to you to determine upon inspection), and/or opened, even partially, and therefore 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 delivery services rely on human error, which by the way suits them well since, I repeat, the insurance is then no longer effective due to the sacred transfer of responsibility from the courier to the sender or recipient; thus, they incur fewer expenses since they will not have to pay the insurance amount! And do not count on a "shake" of the package to determine if 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. Be sure to communicate all these elements in the event that a third party is picking up the package on your behalf. However, if the condition of the returned item is different from what it was when I sent it, but no proof allows determining that the delivery personnel are responsible, then there will be no refund, for the reason that even with excellent packaging it can happen that not only the shocks during transport are extremely significant but also that this occurs without external damage, that is, to the box. These things may not have happened during the initial shipment and could have been avoided if the buyer had picked up the package, thus preventing a second transport, theoretically involving twice the risks for the item. If you have any questions or would like more photos, please feel free to let me know.