Series Of Six Painted Canvases Depicting The Four Elements

An important series of six painted canvases forming the complete wall decoration of an 18th-century southern interior. This exceptional set illustrates the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, to which are added two pastoral scenes by the same hand. Each canvas evokes a lively and poetic world: – Earth, where young people garden and pick fruit near an ornamental fountain; – Air, with a man blowing soap bubbles; – Fire, where people dance around a fire; – Water, where figures help a fisherman haul in his net overflowing with fish; – Two pastoral scenes complete the decoration, one showing a couple gathering fruit, the other a musician playing the flute. These compositions are set within large, oval, rocaille-style frames with leafy scrolls and flowering branches. The subjects are directly inspired by the prints of Nicolas Lancret (1690–1743), engraved around 1730 by Charles-Nicolas Cochin (1715–1790) and Benoît Audran the Younger (1698–1772), and published in Paris by the Widow Chéreau, engraver to the King, on Rue Saint-Jacques. Provenance: A private mansion in Languedoc. Such a complete and homogeneous set, constituting the entire wall decoration of an 18th-century room, is virtually impossible to find on the private market. A remarkably coherent ensemble of exceptional decorative refinement, it offers a precious glimpse into provincial life during the Age of Enlightenment.

Dimensions :

Terre : 2,70 m x 2,42 m

Air: 2,60 m x 2,46 m

Feu 2,68 m x 1,85 m

Eau 2,67 m x 1,62 m

Couple aux fruits : 2,70 m x 80 cm

Joueur de flute : 2,70 m x 1,15 m

Usures, taches, accidents.