Ref.12241
Louis XV oak paneled room with its fireplace and a canvas by Paul Tavernier

This paneled room made at the end of the 20th century with moulded and sculpted oak, is presented with its stone fireplace and its original cast iron interior and a large oil on canvas depicting a hunt with hounds scene in the Fontainebleau Castle's park, painted by Paul Tavernier (1852 – 1943) in 1925. In our ensemble, the oil on canvas by Paul Tavernier is presented in an alcove decorated on its middle by a shell and scrolls sculpted in the wood. The canvas is surrounded by two bookcases. The oak panels are slightly decorated with wood moulding and sculptures depicting flowers and scrolls. There is on the next wall, a Louis XV stone fireplace with its original cast iron interior. It's decorated on its middle with a shell surrounded by flowers on each side. On the top of the mirror an elegant wood decor is sculpted, it depicts again a shell on the middle and scrolls. On the other side of the room, facing it, an other but larger mirror is put on the center of the wall in which there are two doors on each side with mirrors on their upper parts. The oak panels are moulded and sculpted with the same decor. The room dimensions are H : 138.19 Inch, L : 341.73 Inch, D : 205.51 Inch. More dimensions available on request.

Ref.11607
RICARD AUGUSTINE, « Après la chasse » Salon of 1885

This large painting, signed and dated, was executed by Augustine Ricard and exhibited at the Salon of 1885 under the title "After the Hunt". It depicts an old kennel where griffons gather after the hunt; several are injured, and all appear exhausted. There are indications that it was a hound hunting, such as the horn used by hunters to communicate with each other and the dogs, and the hunter’s attire hanging on a beam in the left part of the painting, with the characteristic red jacket. The subject matter is familiar to the artist, as noted by the baron de Vaux in an article published in the newspaper Gil Blas on 28th May 1892: "It is clear that Madame Ricard knows about hunting and is the wife of a huntsman." While the choice of hunting as a subject in painting is not uncommon, the representation of the aftermath is less so. This choice allows the artist to portray the behind-the-scenes, creating an emotional resonance in the scene. Commentators from the Salon of 1885 show that Augustine Ricard’s painting was well-received by her contemporaries and by critics during its exhibition. J. Noulens wrote in Artistes français et étrangers au Salon de 1885 (1885): "A very fine kennel, proud running dogs, well-grouped on a bed of straw, good setting" (p. 152). In L’Univers illustré published on 27th June 1885, the work is also mentioned in laudatory terms: "After the Hunt is signed with a woman's name [...]. There is nothing feminine [...] in this view of a kennel interior, painted with a remarkable firmness, with a truly astonishing relief of texture and color" (p. 407). The painting is again cited in L’Univers illustré dated November 21, 1885: "Several times at this year’s Salon, I stopped in front of Mrs. Augustine Ricard’s large canvas [...]. My still-young heart of an old huntsman beat under the impression of this scene rendered with such striking truth" (p. 743). Born in Paris, Augustine Ricard was a student of Louis Mettling (1847-1904) around 1885 and later of Henri Gervex (1852-1929), around 1888. She had a particular fondness for animal subjects, especially dogs. She was one of the few female painters to exhibit at the Salon in the 19th century, where she highlighted her work through its monumentality and the use of oil painting. She presented the canvas L’Épagneul anglais at the Salon de Dijon in 1887 and another titled Les Meutes at the dog exhibition in Paris in 1892. After the Hunt enjoyed great success, and the artist received numerous compliments. It is undoubtedly one of the masterpieces of her work.