{"product_id":"antique-signed-european-fruit-still-life-oil-painting-1875","title":"Antique Signed European Fruit Still Life Oil Painting, Circa 1875","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ePeaches, green grapes and dark cherries are heaped in a footed glass compote against a near black ground, with one peach and a single cherry rolled onto the ledge in front. The light comes from the upper left and picks out the bloom on the grapes and the curl of the vine tendrils. Fruit still lifes of this kind were painted in quantity through the second half of the 19th century, and the drawing here is controlled and carefully modeled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Artist | Bearing a signature reading “Georges Chinen”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Signature | Signed in red paint, lower right, reading “Georges Chinen” with “75” beneath. The surname is read from a cursive signature and the reading is unverified. No artist has been identified.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Medium | Oil on canvas\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Subject | Still life of peaches, grapes and cherries in a footed glass compote\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Origin | France, likely\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Age | Circa 1875, assessed from the “75” inscribed beside the signature. The canvas has been relined, so reverse evidence is not available.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Canvas Size | 16 in. H x 12.75 in. W\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Frame Size | 20.5 in. H x 17.25 in. W\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Format | Portrait, rectangular\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Frame | Gilt wood frame with a stepped profile. Not confirmed original to the painting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]School or Movement | Academic Realism. The style taught in the official European art academies through the 19th century, built on rigorous drawing, careful finish, and a smooth surface with brushwork largely invisible. Academic painters trained for years in draughtsmanship before touching colour, which is why the drawing in these works is usually the strongest thing in them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Support | Relined canvas on a keyed wooden stretcher, with a cardboard backing board fitted over the reverse\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[condition]\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAntique condition consistent with age. The canvas has been relined, method and date unknown. The relining has stabilized the canvas against further age-related movement. Relining also removes the reverse of the original canvas along with any labels, stamps or inscriptions it carried, so the date is assessed from the “75” beside the signature and not from evidence on the back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe surface shows fine, even craquelure across the canvas and a darkened, slightly yellowed varnish, most noticeable in the shadows and the dark ground. Light dust and small fibers sit on the dark areas, especially lower right, and are visible in the close photographs. The fruit, glass and highlights read clearly. I have not examined the surface under UV, so I can neither confirm nor rule out retouching or earlier restoration. The signature and “75” sit in the lower right and are legible in the photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe canvas is on a keyed wooden stretcher with visible corner keys. I have not confirmed that the stretcher is original to the canvas. A cardboard backing board is fitted over the reverse and is held with a cord. There are no labels, stamps or inscriptions on the reverse other than the AMD tag.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe gilt frame has wear consistent with age and use. Red bole shows through the gilding at the edges and corners, with small scuffs and rubs to the surface and light dirt in the profile. I have not confirmed that the frame is original to the painting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ePlease review all photographs closely, as they form part of this description.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Austyn Marie Design","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67636991066390,"sku":"ENM-2411","price":1900.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0896\/4623\/5926\/files\/October_2026-14835.jpg?v=1793725406","url":"https:\/\/austyn-marie-design.myshopify.com\/products\/antique-signed-european-fruit-still-life-oil-painting-1875","provider":"Austyn Marie Design","version":"1.0","type":"link"}