Galerie Dreyfus
61
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THÉOBALD MICHAU (TOURNAI, 1676 – ANTWERP, 1765)
Peasants Ret…
See original version (French)
61
-
THÉOBALD MICHAU (TOURNAI, 1676 – ANTWERP, 1765)
Peasants Ret…
See original version (French)
Estimate €20,000 - €25,000
Voluntary lot
Description
THÉOBALD MICHAU
(TOURNAI, 1676 – ANTWERP, 1765)
Peasants Returning from the Harvest
c. 1740
Oil on panel
37 x 46 cm.
Signed lower right
Provenance
Christie’s 2006.
On a beautiful, sunny afternoon, a peasant couple, accompanied by their
children, are returning home with their sheaves tucked under their arms. The woman carries a
bundle on her head, whilst a third figure follows behind carrying a pitchfork. This family
occupies the centre of a landscape teeming with activity. On the left, leaving the road, a cowherd
is leading his herd across a pond to reach the cowshed in the background. On the right, a
swineherd keeps watch over his pigs. Behind him, a wide opening reveals the road
taken by the reapers, along which a cart and two horsemen are travelling. In the background, a
hamlet nestled on the edge of a wood. The countryside depicted by the artist is picturesque,
almost allegorical, with the peasant woman striking the pose of a rustic caryatid symbolising
the abundance of the harvest. The palette of warm colours, punctuated by silhouettes in
brighter hues, contributes to this serene atmosphere. The light skilfully structures the various
spaces by alternating between sunlit and shaded areas. The brightly lit sky is
streaked with subtly coloured clouds, hinting at the late hour. Behind the
curtain of trees, one can glimpse the orange sun near the horizon.
Théobald Michau (1676–1765) was a Flemish genre painter. After training in
Brussels under the landscape painter Lucas Achtschellinck, he settled in Antwerp in 1710, where he
was highly prolific. There he was elected to the Academy of Saint Luke. A painter of everyday life,
Michau specialised in landscapes and scenes of village life, with a
focus on anecdotal details that lend his compositions a familiar feel. These Peasants Returning
from the Harvest draw us into this pastoral world, where the influence of Jan Brueghel
and David Teniers bears witness to the Flemish tradition to which Michau belongs.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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