Auguste De La Brély (1838-1906) "lesson In Crossbow Shooting, 1878" Paris Louis XIII Macon

Auguste de LA BRÉLY (1838 - 1906)

"The Crossbow Lesson, 1878"

Oil on panel,
Signed and dated 1878 lower left,

Beautiful finely executed work by the French painter Auguste de La Brély which represents a crossbow lesson during the time of Louis XIII in a park.
The artist is a virtuoso of the brush. He pays particular attention to the meticulous details, especially of the faces, hair, and vegetation of the park, with its numerous ivy leaves and perfectly rendered flower buds, but also to the textures, through the colors of the fabrics where the satin of the dress shimmers.

We can compare our composition to another work by the artist, sold at Sotheby's on June 22, 2005, a smaller piece measuring 32 x 40 cm entitled "A Lesson in Crossbow Shooting."

Born on February 26, 1838, in Fuissé in the Mâconnais region, Auguste de la Brély entered the studio of Charles Gleyre at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1863 to 1890.
The artist began by sending genre scenes during the reign of Louis III before devoting himself, from 1878 onward, almost exclusively to the creation of portraits.

The academy of Mâcon speaks of his compatriot Auguste de La Brély: "We all remember his firm and brilliant touch, the freshness of his colors, and above all, his prodigious skill: under his brush, fabrics have all their luster and suppleness, satin shimmers, and the copper and steel of armor shine like reality itself. He too was fond of the Louis XIII era, whose costumes, fabrics, furniture, weapons, and utensils he knew intimately. All of this is rendered by him with striking truth in a number of paintings, such as The Crossbow Shooting, The First Lesson, and Old Memory, which were well received by the public..."

Dimensions: 73 x 50.5 cm unframed and 87 x 65 cm with a modern giltwood frame.

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