Augustin Alexandre Thierriat (1789 - 1870), Still Life With Grapes And Plums, 1866

Oil on panel. 63 x 52 cm. Signed, dated and located "1866 Lyon" lower right.
Panel very slightly warped, small accidents and restorations.

This still life by Augustin-Alexandre Thierriat depicts an abundance of fruit artfully arranged on a dark entablature.

In the center, a chiseled metal vase supports a bunch of purplish plums, enhanced by green leaves with delicate veins. In the foreground, on the left side, a generous bunch of white grapes with yellowish highlights captures the light, while on the right, purple grapes and two pinkish peaches provide chromatic contrast and formal balance.

The neutral, almost nocturnal background highlights the pulpy material of the fruit and the metallic luster of the bowl, highlighting the painter's talent for chiaroscuro. The mastery of the brush is reflected in the tactile rendering of the fruit skins and the wet varnish that makes the colors vibrate. This rigorous composition, while evoking the wealth and vanity of earthly goods, testifies to the classical influence and attention to detail specific to 19th century Lyon.

After training at the École Spéciale de Dessin de Lyon, Augustin Thierriat joined the École des Beaux-Arts, where Grognard and Philippe Chinard provided him with rigorous instruction in drawing and sculpture. He exhibited historical scenes, genre scenes and flower paintings at the Paris Salon from 1817.

In 1823, he was appointed professor of the flower class at the École des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, replacing Antoine Berjon, and taught there until 1854. He published an album of forty plates, flowers, fruits and ornaments for the use of designers.

Alongside his teaching, Thierriat took on the role of curator of the Museums of Lyon from 1831, writing catalogs and notices, restoring parchments and manuscripts, and organizing exhibitions intended to enrich the municipal heritage. He organized the Gallery of Lyon Painters which was opened to the public on February 16, 1851.

In 1836, the newspaper Le Censeur praised his floral watercolors exhibited at the Salon des Amis des Arts, considering their finesse worthy of Van Huysum and recognizing their superiority over Parisian production. The Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon preserves a group of flowers in a vase from Japan (1855) of him and the School of Fine Arts his portrait by the painter Jacomin.