Mid-19th-Century French School Genre Painting, "Feeding the Bird" Evoking the Tradition of Greuze

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This Mid-19th‑century French school oil on canvas depicts a young woman in an intimate half‑length pose, tenderly feeding a small … Read more This Mid-19th‑century French school oil on canvas depicts a young woman in an intimate half‑length pose, tenderly feeding a small bird. Painted in the sentimental genre tradition associated with Jean‑Baptiste Greuze (French, 1725–1805) and the wider French academic and old master revival taste of the 19th century, the work combines softly idealized beauty with a quietly moral or symbolic mood.

The woman wears a white blouse and dark red skirt, her clothing slightly loosened to reveal one breast, emphasizing themes of nurture, youth, and femininity. Her absorbed gaze on the bird and the dark, neutral background draws our attention to the figure, creating a contemplative atmosphere typical of Greuze‑style intimate genre scenes. A small porcelain cup rests on the table beside her, echoing the pale tones of her skin and adding to the stillness of the scene.

The bird, with a red marking on its head, may allude to the goldfinch, a traditional Christian symbol associated with endurance and, in some historical imagery, with Christ’s Passion. In the Mid-19th century, such everyday French genre scenes were often enriched with subtle religious or moral connotations rather than overt narrative, allowing works like this to function both as decorative pictures and as quietly devotional or sentimental images.

The painting is presented in an ornate Louis XVI–style giltwood frame with an oval sight, probably contemporary to the work. The frame features rocaille cartouches, floral ornaments, and an egg‑and‑dart inner molding, with warm gilding reflecting the 19th‑century revival of 18th‑century French decorative styles and complementing the refined, historicizing character of the work.

This elegant composition, with its warm palette, intimate scale, and antique carved giltwood frame, would be a graceful addition to a sitting room, library, or study and will appeal to collectors of Greuze‑style, romantic genre, and old master–inspired paintings.

Frame: H=47.5 in. W=39.5 in. D=2.5 in. 20 lbs.
Oval Sight Opening: H=34.5 in. W=27 in.
Canvas: H=36 in. W=29 in. D=1 in. See less