Items Similar to French School Courting Pastoral Scenes, 18th Century
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 8
French SchoolFrench School Courting Pastoral Scenes, 18th CenturyCirca 1750
Circa 1750
About the Item
French School
18th Century
Pastoral Scenes
Oil on canvas
A delightful pair of 18th-century pastoral scenes, this charming set of oil paintings depicts two quintessential tableaus of whimsical countryside life. The mirroring monumental compositions each show shepherdess damsels indulging the romantic advances of would-be casanovas, with one romancer wooing his lady with a white dove and the other charming his paramour with the sweet sounds of music. Painted by a talented artist of the French school, these stunning works are rendered in the rococo tradition of pastoral lovers championed by painters like Boucher and Fragonard.
Beautifully preserved and deftly executed, the paintings display the creamy brushwork, airy atmosphere and evocative Italianate setting typical of the finest French school works of the 1750s. The impressive paintings are further distinguished by their monumental size – measuring nearly 5 ½ feet high – and their storied provenance.
For much of the twentieth century, these paintings decorated the drawing room of Casa Encantada, an opulent 60-room mansion in Bel Air designed in 1939 by T. J. Robsjohn-Gibbings. The home was such a spectacle that Architectural Digest dedicated a full issue to the mansion in 1941, which included photos of these two paintings hanging in the drawing rooms. When legendary hotel magnate Conrad Hilton acquired the property in 1950, he also acquired all of the opulent furnishings and fine art that had been carefully curated and designed for the home. Hilton described the property as “one of the fabulous houses of the world,” and the home was certainly elevated by the monumental 18th-century French paintings flanking the drawing room. The paintings thus remained in the possession of Conrad Hilton's son, Mr. Barron Hilton, for the next 40 years until his death in 2019.
Circa 1750
Canvases: 53 1/4" high by 39" wide
Frames: 65 7/8" high by 51" wide by 3 1/8"
Provenance:
Oskar Guhl, Zürich, 1870-1937
Galerie Fischer, Lucerne, 26 August-3 September 1938, lot 1630
Galerie Fischer and A. Seligmann
Hilda Boldt Weber, Bel Air, CA, by 1941
Conrad Nicholson Hilton, Bel Air, CA, acquired in 1949
By descent to Barron Hilton, Bel Air, CA, from whose estate acquired by the present owner
Private Collector, Laguna Nigel, CA
- Creator:French School
- Creation Year:Circa 1750
- Dimensions:Height: 65.88 in (167.34 cm)Width: 51 in (129.54 cm)Depth: 3.13 in (7.96 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New Orleans, LA
- Reference Number:
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Seller
These experienced sellers undergo a comprehensive evaluation by our team of in-house experts.
Established in 1912
1stDibs seller since 2013
15 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 5 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New Orleans, LA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
More From This SellerView All
- Madonna Addolorata By SassoferratoBy Giovanni Battista Salvi da SassoferratoLocated in New Orleans, LASassoferrato (Giovanni Battista Salvi) 1609-1685 Italian Madonna Addolorata Oil on canvas Celebrated Italian artist Sassoferrato and his moving religious imagery are the epitome ...Category
17th Century Baroque Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Portrait of a Beauty by William Clarke WontnerBy William Clarke WontnerLocated in New Orleans, LAWilliam Clarke Wontner 1857-1930 British Portrait of a Beauty Signed and dated "W. Wontner 1918" (lower left) Oil on canvas Classical beauty a...Category
20th Century Portrait Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas
- The LetterBy Andrea LandiniLocated in New Orleans, LAA red-robed cardinal chuckles at the letter in his hand in this oil on canvas by the Italian painter Andrea Landini. The vibrantly hued piece illustrates the artist’s genius at rendering charming narratives in remarkable detail. Entitled The Letter, the work is a superb example of Landini's technical virtuosity — from the finely carved and upholstered chair to the neoclassical painting in the background, every detail is meticulously depicted. Such works satirizing the clergy would have been severely censured just a generation earlier. Yet, by the time Landini picked up the brush, the European public had grown discontent with the hypocrisy of the clergy, many of whom enjoyed lavish lifestyles. Cardinal paintings such as this became highly popular during the period, and Landini emerged alongside Georges Croegaert, Marcel Brunery and Jehan Georges Vibert as the leading painters of the genre. Born in Florence in 1847, Andrea Landini trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, first under the animal painter Riccardo Pasquini and later with religious painter Antonio Ciseri...Category
Late 19th Century Other Art Style Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas
- A Pompeian LadyBy John William GodwardLocated in New Orleans, LAJohn William Godward 1861-1922 British A Pompeian Lady Signed and dated "J.W. Godward 1904" (lower right, partially covered by frame) Oil on canvas One of the last and greatest Victorian neoclassical painters, John William Godward is celebrated for his flawlessly executed images of graceful women posed in idealized ancient settings. In this work, entitled A Pompeian Lady, a classical beauty is caught idling in a moment of quiet, solitary reflection. Godward's elegant subjects are depicted with a degree of technical mastery that remains unsurpassed, and the work's dramatic palette, luxurious fabrics and classical vision are all characteristics of his unique take on the neoclassical style. Godward was unmatched in terms of his technical skill and attention to detail. A master of contrasting textures, he paints a diaphanous gown draping against the model’s smooth, milky white skin, which sits against the painstakingly rendered individual hairs of a tiger’s pel. Scintillating color permeates the canvas as well, energizing the otherwise static scene. Each element is given careful attention, and the overall effect is one of both immaculate technique and sensual tactility. Along with his contemporary and mentor, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Godward set the tone for the Victorian neoclassicist movement. He built his career upon creating images of idealized feminine beauty infused with a Greco-Roman-inspired style. Though greatly influenced by Alma-Tadema, Godward distinguished himself through his predilection for the solitary female figure. His fame rose dramatically in the first few years of the 20th century, when the present work was completed, due to the burgeoning strength of the British Empire and the Victorian society’s preoccupation with ancient Rome. To many of the newly affluent, Roman society was, as Iain Gale writes, “a flawless mirror of their own immaculate world.” The sensuality and mystery of Godward’s maidens, combined with his impressive antique backdrops...Category
Early 20th Century Academic Portrait Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas
- Italian Panel with Satyr and NymphsLocated in New Orleans, LAThis extraordinary Italian gouache and oil on canvas brings two of the most popular characters from Greek mythology vividly the life - the nymph and the satyr. Both creatures are famed for their carefree natures and lascivious temperaments, and tales abound of satyrs pursing nubile nymphs in order to rape or seduce them, usually with little success. One such narrative humorously unfolds in the present piece, which depicts an indignant satyr captured by three nymphs with a golden net. The relationship between these two mythological creatures was a popular one for artists throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, though its origins stretch back to antiquity. Both satyrs and nymphs...Category
Early 19th Century Other Art Style Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil, Gouache
- The Sleuth By Joseph Christian LeyendeckerBy Joseph Christian LeyendeckerLocated in New Orleans, LAJoseph Christian Leyendecker 1874-1951 | American The Sleuth Saturday Evening Post Cover, June 2, 1906 Signed "JCLeyendecker" (lower left) Oil on canvas A debonair sleuth peers t...Category
Early 20th Century Other Art Style Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
You May Also Like
- Giovanni Battista Pittoni, Holy Family with Cupids, Venetian Baroque, ChristmasBy Giovanni Battista PittoniLocated in Greven, DEIn 2001 the German art historian Art historian and Raphael Expert, Prof. Jürg Meyer zur Capellen, published the painting "Die Heilige Familie" in a monographic article, ascribing the present work to the Venetian painter Giovanni Battista Pittoni (1687 -Venice - 1767). (Newspaper "Weltkunst", October 2001, No 12, p. 1850 f. ill.) He describes it as a typical work by this artist. Pittoni was one of the most influential and successful artists of the Venetian Settecento. He was a pupil of the Veronese Master Giovanni Balestra (1666-1740). His style is influenced by Sebastiano Ricci (1659-1734) and Giambattista Tiepolo (1696-1770). Giovanni Battista Pittoni was already successful at a young age and soon lead his own workshop. He created large-scale hitoria paintings, as well as large, religious altarpieces. In addition to Venetian and Upper Italian patrons, Pittoni also had many interested parties from Europe. His work is accordingly scattered in many different museums and private collections today. Pittoni - like other painter colleagues of his time - repeated his own compositions both by hand and with the help of his workshop. He repeatedly incorporated details into other pictures and contexts. Prof. Meyer zur Capellen noted the very good condition of the present work and the high quality of the paint with fine graduations and the vivid brushstrokes. Provenance: The panting has not been on the art market for at least 300 years. In the year 2000 the work was donated by the Münster-based, Noble Family Ketteler zu Harkotten to a private collection in Westphalia. Most probably the canon Nikolaus Hermann von Ketteler zu Harkotten bought the piece in Venice in 1750 together with the altarpiece of the Clemens Church in Münster. On the reverse of the work is a fideicommissum number by Ketteler zu Harkotten. As it belonged to the family commission, the painting was inalienable until 1919, when the corresponding law was repealed, and after that time it remained in the family's possession without interruption. Pittoni's only direct relationship to Münster is the commission for the high altar painting of the Baroque St. Clemens Church. It can be assumed that then canon von Ketteler saw this painting in the artist's workshop during his stay in Venice and acquired it for himself. This would also explain the discrepancy in dating. (ca. 1735/1750). However, it is also possible that the painting originated in the possession of Ferdinand von Plettenberg...Category
Early 18th Century Rococo Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Antique Rococo Oil Painting, around 1800, "Royal Dance in the Garden"Located in Berlin, DEAntique Rococo Oil Painting, around 1800, Royal Dance in the Garden Oil on canvas. Canvas relined. Stretcher renewed. Dimensions are without fra...Category
18th Century Rococo Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Huge 18th Century French Rococo Old Master Oil Allegorical Nude Winged LadyLocated in Cirencester, GloucestershireThe Allegorical Winged Nude Lady, adorned with the attributes of Spring French School, 18th century (Rococo period) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 30 x 52 inches provenance...Category
18th Century Rococo Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas
- The Four Seasons: SummerLocated in Atlanta, GAOriginally painted for Louis XV's mistress Madame de Pompadour, this sensuous work of voluptuous bathing nudes is a copy of Boucher's "The Four Seasons...Category
19th Century Rococo Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas
- Italian early 20th Century oil painting by Lucius Rossi, 'La balancoire'By Lucius RossiLocated in Petworth, West SussexLucius Rossi (Italian, 1846 – 1913) La balancoire, 1907 Signed and dated ‘Lucius Rossi, 1907’ (lower right) Oil on canvas 22.1/2 x 32.3/4 in. (57.5 x 83....Category
20th Century Rococo Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Religious Venetian painter - 18th century figure painting - Baptism ChristLocated in Varmo, ITVenetian painter (18th century) - Baptism of Christ. 58.5 x 75.5 cm without frame, 65 x 82 cm with frame. Oil on canvas, in a wooden frame. - Bears...Category
Early 18th Century Rococo Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
France Antique
Antique French Antique
French Art Design
France Photos
French Photo
French France 18th Century
Antique French Canvas
French Architecture House
Whimsical French
18th Century French Art
French 18th Century Art
French Romantic Art
18th Century French Frame
Antique School House
18th Century School
France 1870 Art
French Countryside Paintings
Pastoral Art