Femme Ramassant by Dìaz de la Pena
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In this painting the artist conjures the majestic expanse of a densely wooded thicket
Key Features
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- Narcisse Virgile Díaz de la Peña was a master of plein air painting
- He was most noted for his woodland interior scenes, such as this one
- In this painting the artist conjures the majestic expanse of a densely wooded thicket
- From 1837 to 1844, he was an important and influential member of the Barbizon school
- He was awarded three Salon gold medals, and in 1851 was named a Knight of the Legion of Honor
- Circa 1856
- C: 17 3/4" h x 27 1/4" w F: 24" h x 33 1/2" w
Item Details
- Width:
C: 27 1/4" F:33 1/2 Inches - Height:
C: 17 3/4" F: 24" Inches - Period:
19th Century - Origin:
France - Subject:
Landscapes - Artist:
Other
Narcisse Virgile Dìaz de la Peña
1807-1876 · French
Femme Ramassant du Bois Près d'une Mare en Forêt (Woman Collecting Firewood near a Pond in the Forest)
Signed and dated '56
Painted 1856
Oil on Panel
An exceptional Barbizon School painter, Narcisse Virgile Dìaz de la Peña was a master of plein air painting. Most notable were his woodland interior scenes, such as Femme Ramassant du Bois près d'une Mare en Forêt, where he expertly conjured the majestic expanse of a densely wooded thicket accentuated with the small pocket of incandescent blue sky. For as widespread as the scene feels, it also simultaneously conveys a sense of intimacy, reflecting Dìaz de la Peña's true connection with the natural world.
Dìaz de la Peña suffered an unfortunately tragic youth. Orphaned at the age of ten, he endured a particularly severe case of blood poisoning, which cost him a leg. Undeterred by his disability, Dìaz de la Peña undertook an apprenticeship at the Sevres porcelain studios, affording him the artistic fundamentals that he would eventually hone by copying paintings in the Louvre Museum. He found the greatest inspiration in the work of contemporary Romantic painter Eugne Delacroix and also those of Théodore Rousseau, whose friendship would bring Dìaz de la Peña to Barbizon in the 1830s. He spent the better part of the 1840s painting deep in the Forest of Fontainebleau, conjuring such powerful scenes as Femme Ramassant and encouraging other artists to explore the merits of plein air painting.
Since his days at Barbizon, Dìaz de la Peña has enjoyed high acclaim for his landscapes, with museums around the globe holding his works. The Louvre alone boasts a collection of over thirty, a true testament to his artistic signifigance.
Panel: 17 3/4" high x 27 1/4" wide
Frame: 24" high x 33 1/2" wide
Provenance: Samuel Avery, New York
Samuel Hawk, New York (by 1879)
William S. Hawk, New York
H.E. Russell, New York, (Sale: American Art Assoc., NY, Feb., 4-5, 1931, lot 179)
Sale: American Art Association, New York February 4-5, 1932, Lot 147
Jane Spiegelberg, New York Bühler-Brockhaus Collection, May 5, 1998
Rehs Galleries, Inc., New York City
Private Collection, Illinois
Exhibited:
Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, Masterpieces from the European Art Colonies 1839-1930, 2005, no.25 (illustrated in catalogue).
Literature:
Edward Strahan, The Art Treasures of America (Philadelphia, 1879), Vol. I, 170.
Pierre et Rolande Miquel, Narcisse Diaz de la Peña: Catalogue Raisonné de l'Oeuvre Peint, Vol. I, 91 (color); Vol. II, 1252 (black and white illustration)
Select Museums:
Louvre, Museum, Paris
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
National Gallery, London
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
1807-1876 · French
Femme Ramassant du Bois Près d'une Mare en Forêt (Woman Collecting Firewood near a Pond in the Forest)
Signed and dated '56
Painted 1856
Oil on Panel
An exceptional Barbizon School painter, Narcisse Virgile Dìaz de la Peña was a master of plein air painting. Most notable were his woodland interior scenes, such as Femme Ramassant du Bois près d'une Mare en Forêt, where he expertly conjured the majestic expanse of a densely wooded thicket accentuated with the small pocket of incandescent blue sky. For as widespread as the scene feels, it also simultaneously conveys a sense of intimacy, reflecting Dìaz de la Peña's true connection with the natural world.
Dìaz de la Peña suffered an unfortunately tragic youth. Orphaned at the age of ten, he endured a particularly severe case of blood poisoning, which cost him a leg. Undeterred by his disability, Dìaz de la Peña undertook an apprenticeship at the Sevres porcelain studios, affording him the artistic fundamentals that he would eventually hone by copying paintings in the Louvre Museum. He found the greatest inspiration in the work of contemporary Romantic painter Eugne Delacroix and also those of Théodore Rousseau, whose friendship would bring Dìaz de la Peña to Barbizon in the 1830s. He spent the better part of the 1840s painting deep in the Forest of Fontainebleau, conjuring such powerful scenes as Femme Ramassant and encouraging other artists to explore the merits of plein air painting.
Since his days at Barbizon, Dìaz de la Peña has enjoyed high acclaim for his landscapes, with museums around the globe holding his works. The Louvre alone boasts a collection of over thirty, a true testament to his artistic signifigance.
Panel: 17 3/4" high x 27 1/4" wide
Frame: 24" high x 33 1/2" wide
Provenance: Samuel Avery, New York
Samuel Hawk, New York (by 1879)
William S. Hawk, New York
H.E. Russell, New York, (Sale: American Art Assoc., NY, Feb., 4-5, 1931, lot 179)
Sale: American Art Association, New York February 4-5, 1932, Lot 147
Jane Spiegelberg, New York Bühler-Brockhaus Collection, May 5, 1998
Rehs Galleries, Inc., New York City
Private Collection, Illinois
Exhibited:
Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, Masterpieces from the European Art Colonies 1839-1930, 2005, no.25 (illustrated in catalogue).
Literature:
Edward Strahan, The Art Treasures of America (Philadelphia, 1879), Vol. I, 170.
Pierre et Rolande Miquel, Narcisse Diaz de la Peña: Catalogue Raisonné de l'Oeuvre Peint, Vol. I, 91 (color); Vol. II, 1252 (black and white illustration)
Select Museums:
Louvre, Museum, Paris
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
National Gallery, London
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
