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651 - MEHEUT Mathurin (1882–1958): “Le Repas pendant la Grande Tro…
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Estimate €50,000 - €100,000
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Description
MEHEUT Mathurin (1882–1958): “Le Repas pendant la Grande Troménie”. Casein on canvas. Signed with initials and dated 48. (Mounted, in very fine condition). Dimensions unframed: 150 x 150 cm. Dimensions framed: 170 x 181 cm. PROVENANCE: Formerly in the collection of Robert HENRIOT, Co-director of the Quimper Earthenware Manufactory. Commissioned for his mansion on Rue Vis in Quimper BIBLIOGRAPHY: Julien Hennote, Gilles Baratte, Virginie Bregeon, *Mathurin Méheut: Contemplating and Cooking the Sea*, 2024, illustrated. The year is 1948. Mathurin Méheut is sixty-six years old and at the height of his fame. He has just completed, with the help of Yvonne Jean-Haffen, a major decorative cycle for the Institute of Geology in Rennes. At this time, he received a major commission from the Henriot family. For this work, Méheut chose a theme particularly dear to him: the Troménie of Locronan. In it, he depicts a pause during the procession. In this large-scale composition, the subject quickly appears to be merely a pretext, as the artist offers us far more than a simple meal scene. Traditional costumes from the Glazik region sit alongside those of Plougastel-Daoulas; in the distance, the traditional headdresses of the Bigouden women can be seen, whilst sailors from Brest mingle with the procession. In the immediate post-war period, it is the idea of unity and collective celebration that seems to take precedence. In the foreground, the women’s dresses seem to blend into the granite rocks, as if the artist were suggesting that they form the very bedrock of Brittany. The viewer’s gaze is then drawn, in a sweeping, swirling movement, upwards towards the bell-ringers, the true masters of the work’s rhythm. In the background, on the left, stands the Menez Hom, the mythical peak of the Montagnes Noires associated with ancient Celtic beliefs; on the right, the Bigouden headdresses echo this, framing the composition. In the bottom right-hand corner, very close to the signature, as if to extend it, one recognises the cider bowls from the ‘Service de la mer’ collection, created by Méheut twenty-five years earlier for the Henriot factory. This personal reference is rare enough in the artist’s oeuvre that it can be seen less as a stylistic device than as a discreet and skilful nod to the patron. Exceptional in its scale, execution, the freshness of its colours and its prestigious provenance, this ‘Meal after the Pardon’ ranks among Mathurin Méheut’s major post-war works and stands as a true ode to Brittany.
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About the sale L'AME BRETONNE Sale – 23rd edition
Auction location
Auction time 07/05/2026 at 10:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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