Charles Montlevault (lyon, 1835 - Id., 1897), The Washerwomen

Oil on cardboard. 27 × 22 cm. Signed lower left.

Charles Joly, known as Montlevault, was a Lyon painter of the second half of the nineteenth century, belonging to that generation which combined direct observation from nature with a taste for scenes of everyday life. He travelled for a time in Algeria and Turkey, bringing back several Orientalist compositions. He also painted views of the Mediterranean basin and landscapes inspired by the Lyon countryside. His works are held in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon.

In *Les Lavandières*, Montlevault captures an intimate rural scene: three women are busy at the edge of a stream, at the foot of a grassy slope bordered with trees. His free, supple touch modulates greens and browns, while a clear sky, streaked with clouds, spreads a cool light reflected in the water. The solidly constructed composition balances the wooded mass with an opening toward the horizon. Through his frank palette, measured impasto and finely judged tonal harmony, Montlevault combines the rigour of observation with a poetic sensitivity, in the spirit of Lyon naturalism and the Barbizon school.

The painting is presented in an antique gilt-wood frame with moulded profile and beaded inner border, decorated at the corners with small rosette medallions. The gilding, in a warm and gently patinated tone, enhances the green and brown nuances of the landscape and highlights the compositional balance.