catalog text
"POULTRY AND HAYSTACKS" BY CORNELIS VAN LEEMPUTTEN (BELGIAN, 1841-1902)
Signed lower left; label with artists name verso dated 1864; executed in oil on panel
Item # 808NHO24P
A crisp and vibrant scene, this colorful little work depicts a plethora of fowl pecking around the green grasses of a farm yard for bugs and seeds under clear skies in summer. Two tidy haystacks are positioned behind an old wooden fence. Each bird is painted with unusual attention to detail, the variety of colors in each bird’s feather makeup being notable and admirable. The shadow work is highly technical with a perfect gradient between shadows and full sunlight. Cornelis walks a fine line between realism and idealism in his nostalgic works, but his ability to navigate this effectively is what set his works apart from his contemporaries. The present example is signed in the lower left corner and retains an old label on the back of the panel. It is housed in a contemporary gilded frame.
Measurements: 13 7/8” H x 17 1/4” W x 1 1/4” D [frame]; 8 1/2” H x 12” W [panel]
Condition Report:
Contemporary frame. Cleaned and conserved. Small paint chip in thatched hut (edge of roof), light craquelure visible in the sky, three spots of inpainting in upper 1” of sky, other minor spots of touch up here and there (including by base of thatched hut lower-right quadrant)