Still life with peaches and pitcher, Eugène Claude, late 19th century

Still life with peaches and pitcher
Eugène Claude
Oil on canvas
Late 19th century

Size: 31 x 39 cm
Frame size: 54.5 x 62.5 cm

This still life features an abundant basket of peaches on a rustic table, with a few scattered fruits and a terracotta pitcher with handle. The sober composition is enhanced by subtle lighting that accentuates the texture of the fruit and the patina of the pitcher. The dark background brings out the warm, natural colors of the whole.
Here, Claude follows in the realist tradition of still lifes. He excels in the rendering of materials: the velvety softness of the peaches contrasts with the rough surface of the pitcher. The balance of the composition and the quality of execution testify to a sensitive eye for the simple things of everyday life.

Condition : Very good.
Old restoration visible on the back of the canvas only, richly carved giltwood frame in perfect condition.

Eugène Claude (1841-1922) was a French painter born in Toulouse and who died in Asnières-sur-Seine. Born into a family of porcelain merchants, he began his career as a porcelain painter before devoting himself to easel painting. A member of the Société des Artistes Français, he specialized in still lifes - flowers, fruit, animals - and portraits.
He began exhibiting at a very early age, in 1861, at the Paris Salon, and also participated regularly in the Lyon and Nantes Salons. During his career, he exhibited over sixty works at the official Salons, over a period of thirty years. His refined, naturalist style was inspired by the great floral compositions of the 17th-century Flemish school, with a taste for detail, play of light and material effects.
Eugène Claude received several distinctions: a class medal at the Salon des artistes français in 1895, and honorable mentions at the Paris World's Fair in 1889 and 1900. He remains highly regarded on the art market today, where his works bear witness to solid technical know-how and a decorative sense that was very much in vogue at the end of the 19th century.

Ref: EHX2SO5C7M