Old Oil Painting French School Fruit Attributed to Chardin 19th Century Gilded Frame

  
Hello, I am putting this painting up for sale. It measures 47 cm high by 60 cm wide if only the composition is taken into account, and 64 cm high by 76 cm wide including the frame. It is a superb oil on canvas, signed at the lower left in what looks like “Pierrot,” which is also written on the back of the stretcher. The capital letter M is also present. The artist is very likely French, since the canvas used bears the number 12 on the back, which corresponds to one of the standard stretcher sizes available in our country. I have no information about this artist, although he was clearly very talented. As for the date, I strongly believe it is from the second half of the 19th century.

Even this handwoven tablecloth has that something of sincere truth. The wheat ears and the stray stalks of straw here and there reinforce the feeling that the painter had only just gathered his “models” when depicting them; the purity of the gesture is all the more evident. The whole work is enhanced by real talent, visible in the thoughtful placement of the various elements, great mastery of line and texture rendering (special mention to the peppers and the large squash, which are very lifelike), a strong harmony of colors, and welcome details, such as the reflection of the onion in the large green bottle.

Despite slight signs of wear here and there, in the form of many more or less small cracks, with no seriousness and proof of an authentic painting, and a few subtle small losses of paint here and there, the composition is in good, even very good, condition for its age. It has undergone restoration, visible in some photos (and visible in certain reflections in real life, though discreet enough under normal viewing conditions), as well as a varnish, in my opinion applied with a satin liquid varnish, giving it beautiful reflections and protection. The frame, superb with its bold, elaborate motifs, is in generally good condition despite some fairly discreet losses, areas where restorations have been carried out, and gilding that is not entirely uniform, with occasional signs of wear.

Its sturdiness is certain; I have not noticed any areas where an element might soon come loose. The painting fits securely in its frame, and the canvas tension is excellent. The photos were taken on a sunny afternoon in a very well-lit room.

The second photo is the most faithful to the actual color rendering under these conditions. Please note, however, that computer or phone screens other than mine, depending on their display settings, may alter the results I obtained to a greater or lesser extent. With these points in mind, you may nevertheless consider this image sufficiently representative of reality, once again under viewing conditions similar to those described above. Hand delivery is entirely possible if you are able to travel.

For this to be taken into account, it is essential that if the box is damaged anywhere to a sufficiently significant degree (it is up to you to determine this upon inspection), and/or opened, even partially, you ask the courier to note reservations if it is a shipment by post, or refuse the parcel at the relay point staff if it is a relay-point shipment, UNLESS, and you must ask them for this, you have the option to note reservations using the shipping label scanning device; in that case you may then collect the parcel before they scan the shipping label or carry out any other operation confirming that you have received it. In other words, make sure to check the condition of the box carefully, without missing any area, in both cases before they act. In the case of relay-point delivery, if you refuse the parcel, it will be kept by the relay point and returned to the inspection service for verification, in order to establish the responsibility of the couriers and make the insurance effective (information gathered from their website) if the item is damaged. In the case of the post office, if delivery is made to your mailbox because the parcel size allows it, and therefore there is no hand delivery, and the box is sufficiently damaged (a distinction you must determine), you must take it unopened to the nearest post office and ask the staff to return the parcel to me (information taken from their website), again in anticipation of a review of the delivery service, UNLESS, 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 (it is up to you to determine this upon inspection), and/or opened, even partially, and therefore choose not to make reservations, or accept the parcel if reservations cannot be made; but be aware that this is like playing Russian roulette, since delivery services rely on the margin of error, which, incidentally, suits them very well because, as I repeat, the insurance is then no longer valid due to damage, because of the sacred transfer of responsibility from the courier to the sender or the recipient; that means less expense for them, since they will not have to pay out the insurance sum. 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 someone else is collecting the parcel on your behalf. If, however, the condition of the returned item differs from what it was when I sent it, but there is no proof that the couriers are responsible, then there will be no refund, because even with excellent packaging, impacts during transport can be extremely severe and yet leave no external damage, meaning no damage to the box.

These are things that might not have happened during the initial shipment, and that might have been avoided if the buyer had collected the parcel and thus prevented a second transport, theoretically involving twice the 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.