Scène Paris Jeu De Rue - Fairground And Schoolchildren - Oil On Canvas Signed Dubois 19th Century Per25hst001

Paris scene at the street game - showman and schoolchildren - oil on canvas signed Dubois - 19th century PER25HST001

Rare Parisian genre scene depicting a traveling game of chance of the "petits chevaux" or roulette type, in the heart of a busy late 19th century street.

The composition is organized around a seated adolescent showman, the central figure of the work, whose poised attitude and attire - long pants and adult clothes - contrast with those of the children around him. He watches, he collects, he attracts, he has a smile that speaks volumes...
The children, dressed in shorts, aprons and school clothes, with their schoolbags and a wooden horse, embody a recognizable bourgeois childhood, probably captured as they leave school.

The showman, in a calm, confident posture, holds the bank and collects the bets, while the young players are captivated and hypnotized by the ludic device. This opposition between schoolchildren and street kids lends the scene a particular social dimension.

The game, treated with precision, is a red-painted cylinder topped by a tiercé or roulette-type horse mechanism, with the visible presence of a crown and an inscription on the drum, characteristic elements of these popular attractions intended to be noticed from afar and arouse attraction.

The architectural setting situates the scene in a Parisian environment, with thethe presence of a Morris column, a lively perspective and a monumental arch structuring the depth.

The touch is free and

The brushstroke is free and lively, with lightly impastoed matter and a warm palette of harmonious tones.

Signed lower left Dubois, this work is in the tradition of the painters of Parisian life, on the border between genre painting and social observation.

Dimensions 30 x 40 cm
Healthy frame
Correctly stretched canvas
No need to clean the canvas, despite its original patina