Camille Merlaud (1877–1957) Dogs At Rest

Camille MERLAUD
(Verteillac 1877–1957)
Pointing Dogs
Oil on panel
H. 22 cm; W. 33 cm
Signed lower left. Dated 1909

Provenance: Private collection, Périgord/Charente

Born in Verteillac in the heart of the Ribérac canton, Camille Merlaud is remembered in the Périgord region not only as an amateur painter and draftsman, but also as a musician. He appears to have begun painting at a very early age, as several known works are dated to the 1890s and are executed in a very simple figurative style. It is around the time of World War I that we know the most about Merlaud and his works, which consist mainly of portraits and scenes of French trenches. During this period, he was called up and went to the front as a sergeant major, or “bandmaster.” He brought rhythm to life behind the trenches by organizing concerts along the front lines, featuring dozens of musicians. Enlisted in the Territorial Army with the 93^rd Périgueux Regiment, he also served as a medic during the conflict. Works from this period, which the artist regularly gave away or sold, frequently appear on the art market.

Inspired by his native region, Camille Merlaud would depict, throughout his career, images of the countryside and the people who brought it to life. Peasants leading their oxen to plow the fields or making hay, cracking walnuts by thecantou while a peasant woman spins wool on her spinning wheel—not to mention his depictions of the landscapes of the Dronne and the Isle. A true testament to rural life, the painter’s rural scenes earned him the Agricultural Merit Medal. Camille Merlaud, deeply passionate about his art, exhibited at several European art salons, such as the Salon des Indépendants in Paris, and, of course, remained a loyal participant in the Périgueux Salon. He died, as he wished, alone, in his studio in Verteillac, where his family still owns the large store bearing the unmistakable sign bearing the name of this passionate artist.

The subject we are presenting today is a rarity in Merlaud’s work. Indeed, we regularly come across harnessed oxen, but dogs are practically invisible in his work—especially in a theme like ours, which brings us closer to hunting regulars such as Léon Danchin. Undoubtedly a Pointer and a Setter, these dogs are pointing on a moor, from which a partridge or woodcock will soon take flight, awaiting its fate at the muzzle of the hunter’s gun.