Antoine Ponchin (1872-1934) Terrace On The Heights Of Martigues

A breathtaking, almost ethereal light, enhanced by magnificent plays of shadow.
A window onto the heights of Martigues, a land of fishermen and artists, which Antoine Ponchin, a local son and renowned specialist in the subject, masterfully captured.
The work, in excellent condition, is signed in the lower left corner and is presented in a beautiful carved wooden frame from the 1930s, measuring 94 cm x 78 cm (81 cm x 65 cm for the canvas alone).
It depicts a bird's-eye view of the famous "Little Venice of Provence" from a terrace bustling with elegant gatherings.
In the foreground, two terracotta jars with glazed necks introduce the scene, which is crowned by two magnificent pine trees whose shadows illuminate, in the background, the churches of Saint Genest and Sainte Marie Madeleine.
An exceptional work exuding a gentle way of life, charm, and tranquility, sure to delight collectors who appreciate color and light.

Antoine Ponchin was the son of the painter Joseph Marius Ponchin and Françoise Élisabeth Victo-rine Moulin. His own son, Joseph Henri Ponchin, would also become a painter.

Antoine Ponchin studied under Théophile Henri Décanis (1847-1917), Julien Gustave Gagliardini (1846-1927), and Jean-Baptiste Olive (1848-1936). He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1893 to 1933 and received an honorable mention in 1904 (Old Mill on the Morin), a third-class medal and the Raigecourt-Goyon Prize in 1906 (Evening Sun, Étang de Berre and Landscape), and then a second-class medal in 1910 (Cypress of Provence and Étang de Carronte). He also exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants from 1904 to 1906 (Canal at Martigues, Morning, 1904; Pine Tree at Golfe Juan, 1905; A Street in Picquigny, Somme, 1906), as well as at the Exhibitions of Marseilles Artists.

After participating in the 1907 International Maritime Exhibition in Bordeaux, the 1922 Colonial Exhibition in Marseilles, and winning the Indochina Prize that same year, he was sent on a mission to Hanoi by the Ministry of Colonies from October 4, 1922, to May 6, 1923. His son, Jos Henri, accompanied him, and together they decorated the Albert-Sarraut High School in Hanoi. The success of his mission led to his being nominated by the Minister of Colonies for the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor. He died on December 15, 1933, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris.

Works in public collections
• Chambéry, Museum of Fine Arts: Seascape.
• Nîmes, Museum of Fine Arts: Houses on the Water
• Rouen, Museum of Fine Arts: View of Venice.

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• Honors
• Antoine Ponchin was made a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor in 1923.