catalog text
"CHICKENS W/ A DUCK & ROOSTER" BY CORNELIS VAN LEEMPUTTEN (BELGIAN, 1841-1902)
Signed lower right “Cornelis Van Leemputten 1864”, in oil on panel
Item # 808YNI24L
A delightful little work somewhat typical of Cornelis van Leemputten, these small farm yard scenes were something of a mainstay for him as he found a very active customer base in works of nostalgia. In part a reaction to the popularity and growth of cities, but also in response to the Industrial Revolution as a whole, patrons in city centers became very interested in rural works that studied a life of simplicity and often poverty. Always with an eye for commercial markets, Cornelis van Leemputten painted a large number of these farm and poultry scenes, clearly inspired by the works of Eugéne Verboeckhoven, but with a more careful eye for technical and anatomical realism versus his Romantic predecessor. The present example depicts chickens laying about in the soft green grass of the pasture while a duck and rooster walk among them before a small pond. Scattered chards of broken pottery, a rough hewn wooden fence and the thatched-roof huts in the distance give context to the farmer’s situation. The work is signed in his typical flowing script “Cornelis Van Leemputten 1864”. It is housed in a contemporary gilt wood frame.
Measurements: 14” H X 17” W X 1 1/4” D [frame]; 8 5/8” H X 11 5/8” W [panel]
Condition Report:
Contemporary frame. Professionally cleaned and conserved. Old grime deep in craquelure, more notable in the sky. Under UV spot of touch up in upper left sky, a few spots of touch up by the standing duck and resting chicken lower left, some touch ups to edge wear.