The Sablet Environs - A Woman In Mourning In A Stormy Mountain Landscape

From the circle of Jacques SABLET
Woman in Mourning in a Stormy Mountain Landscape
Oil on canvas
H. 60 cm; W. 84.5 cm
Circa 1805

More than just a landscape, this painting is a psychological work. It reflects the thoughts of this woman, depicted in the foreground in her mourning dress. Grieving the loss of her husband (as we imagine), this young woman sits, weary and lost in thought, beside the grave illuminated by a ray of sunlight.
The thistle beside her, rendered with the delicacy of a Flemish still life, symbolizes the suffering of Christ or the Virgin Mary. It is not placed here by chance. To the right, in the background, a vast landscape of low mountains stands out against the fog and stormy clouds, undoubtedly symbols of this woman’s torment. In the sky, a patch of blue sky, and on the ground, a meadow illuminated by a ray of sunlight, are synonymous with the hope of the life to come.

Stylistically, the work is associated with eastern France. The theory linking it to Switzerland and Jacques Sablet seems to fit the composition, its delicacy, and the topography.