Old Painting: Oil on Canvas, Barbizon School, Countryside, Cow, 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 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, with the color peaking in the water in the foreground, remarkable for its realism in both color and undulations, transports us to the conditions of perhaps a summer afternoon, a feeling reinforced by the presence of this peasant and his cow in the shade to drink, while a fisherman goes about his business on a boat. The river, behind which the edge of the woods is drawn, composed of a row of well-stocked trees, superbly well done and reflecting some of their leaves the summer's gleams, is not only dominated by the other side of the bank, steep cliffs covered in green with a castle on the right flank, but also by this superbly cloudy sky.

All 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 condition overall, with only a few tiny traces of wear here and there and some kind of small masses, fortunately discreet enough; perhaps they serve to ensure the good adhesion of the canvas to the panel. An appreciable detail is that it seems to have been varnished quite recently, which explains why it can reflect several reflections depending on the light and viewing angle, but also enhances its colors.

As for the frame, it has a patinated appearance, probably intentional, and also remains in very good overall condition. The photos were taken under a skylight created by my Velux, during an afternoon with soft winter light. After numerous tests, I realized that the color rendering in the first two photos, with my equipment, is the one that most faithfully reproduces what can be observed in conditions that most people would consider "normal", offering a good compromise between sufficient light source and nuanced colors without excess. Note, however, that computer or mobile screens other than mine, depending on their brightness and contrast, may more or less modify the results that I have achieved. With these elements in mind, you can nevertheless consider my photographs as sufficiently representative sources of reality, under observation conditions similar to those described earlier.

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 handled with care, unless you prefer to pick it up in person, which is quite possible if you make the trip. WARNING: All my shipments include insurance proportional to the value of the item. Therefore, in order for it to be taken into account, if the box is (sufficiently) damaged, it is imperative that you refuse the package from the personnel at the relay point or the delivery person, depending on the chosen method of shipment, before they scan the shipping receipt or perform any other operation to confirm that you have received the package; therefore, be sure to check the condition of the box thoroughly before they take any action.

If you refuse to accept the package, it will be kept by the relay point or the delivery person in order to be returned to me, for a verification of the delivery service to report the responsibility of the delivery person and make the insurance effective (information gathered from the Mondial Relay and La Poste websites). If the delivery is made to your mailbox because the dimensions of the package allow it, without personal delivery, with La Poste, and the box is damaged, you must take it to the nearest post office without opening it.

Please note that in all of these cases, you may think, for any reason, that the item inside the box is 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 suits them as the insurance is then no longer effective due to damage; less expenses for them! And don't count on shaking the package to determine if the item is broken; unless it is glass or ceramic, the sound of breakage is imperceptible. If you have any questions or would like more photos, feel free to let me know.