Etienne Léon Trébutien (bayeux, 1823 – Bayeux, 1871)

Still Life with Grapes, Peaches, and a Chiseled Bowl, 1856

A French painter born and died in Bayeux (Calvados), Trébutien specialized in floral and fruit still lifes, a genre that was highly prized in France during the 19th century. He exhibited regularly at the Salon des Artistes Français beginning in 1857. One of the artist’s works, *Flowers* (1866), is held in the collections of the Musée d’Orsay; others are housed in the museums of Bayeux and Montargis. His works have also appeared at public auctions on several occasions (notably at Christie’s).

Our painting, dated 1856, predates the artist’s documented debut at the Salon by one year: it is therefore an early work, predating his period of official exhibition.
■
Oil mounted on panel, signed and dated “Trébutien 1856” in the lower right corner.
Dimensions: 39 x 31 cm (image area) / 52 x 44 cm with frame.
■
A still-life composition in chiaroscuro: a cluster of white grapes, ripe peaches, and vine leaves in autumnal tones, arranged on a draped entablature. In the center, a richly crafted stemmed cup emerges from the shadows. Warm color palette (golds, ambers, browns) enhanced by the dark background, typical of chiaroscuro technique.
Condition: generally good condition, visible normal crazing, no apparent restoration to note. Frame not contemporary with the work.