The Death Of Abel, 1799

French or Italian school, circa 1799

Oil on copper.

Dimensions of the copper plate: 18 × 10 cm.

Antique blackened wooden frame.

Exceptional oil painting on copper depicting The Death of Abel, executed in 1799, the date incorporated into the composition on the fictitious pedestal.

The artist treats the scene like an ancient marble bas-relief, demonstrating remarkable mastery of trompe-l’œil. The figures, rendered in a subtle range of whites and grays, reproduce with great finesse the effects of light and the sculptural qualities of the work.

The composition is fully in keeping with the neoclassical taste of the late 18th century. The figure of Abel is reminiscent of Jean-Baptiste Stouf’s famous *Abel Expiring*, presented to the Royal Academy in 1785 and now housed in the Louvre, while the work as a whole constitutes an original creation in which the painter reinterprets the biblical subject in the form of a faux bas-relief. (Louvre Collections)

The quality of execution is remarkable: precise academic drawing, modeling of great delicacy, a perfectly smooth surface characteristic of the finest copper paintings, and a particularly convincing illusion of carved stone. An old inscription on the reverse describing the work as “enamel on copper” further attests to the exceptional quality of this finish, which was frequently mistaken for enamel by early collectors.

The work is preserved in its original frame, which is perfectly in keeping with its era. Its condition is remarkable, both for the painting and for its copper support.

A rare example of the Neoclassical taste for sculptural illusions, this painting is a highly elegant cabinet piece, intended for a cultured clientele sensitive to references to Antiquity and technical virtuosity.