Octave Tassaert (1800-1874), The Blessed Virgin Breastfeeding The Child Jesus

Octave Tassaert (1800-1874), The Blessed Virgin breastfeeding the Child Jesus in the presence of Saint John the Baptist, Oil on canvas, 24 x 18.5 cm. This charming little painting is one of the different versions of the subject exhibited by Tassaert at the Salon of 1845 and which is now in the Museum of Fine Arts in Brest. Largely forgotten by modern critics Octave Tassaert, whose major works can be found at the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée Fabre, is one of the major artists of the miserabilist movement. His tragic death in 1874 in loneliness and destitution contributed to his disappearance from the artistic scene of the end of the 19th century in favor of more media-oriented artists like Courbet. It was collected during his lifetime by the greatest such as Alfred Bruyas and Dumas fils. In its superb original gilt frame.