Emile Godchaux – Still Life With Grapes And Pears – Oil On Canvas, 92 X 73 Cm – Signed
Artist: Godchaux Emile (vers 1860 – 1938)
Emile GODCHAUX
Still Life with Grapes and Pears
Oil on canvas
Signed “Godchaux” lower left, partially erased
92 x 73 cm — 104 x 85 cm with frame (30 Figure format)
Condition: good condition, beautiful, fresh colors; some retouching on the background. Original stretcher.
Frame: modern gilded molded molding
An autumn composition, where everything revolves around materials that complement one another.
In the center, a large white earthenware fruit bowl with brown decoration, tilted toward us, overflowing with black grapes. Godchaux paints them one by one: each grape receives its own touch of light—bluish on some, almost pink on others—amidst the yellowing vine leaves and dry tendrils rising against the dark background.
On the right, a low basket filled with yellow pears resting on green leaves. In the foreground, a small copper pitcher with a black handle catches the light and provides the foreground’s only point of warmth—the red of the metal against the creamy white of the tablecloth.
Behind them, two objects anchor the right side of the canvas: a green-glazed pot with a bridge-shaped handle, whose enamel shimmers in broad patches, and a clear glass pitcher, barely outlined by a few white strokes. It is a very free-flowing painting, almost abstract when viewed up close.
The background remains dark and devoid of detail yet textured, barely lightened toward the right. This is a deliberate choice: nothing competes for attention with the fruit. On the tablecloth, a few stray grapes and a small fallen cluster enliven the edge of the table—a detail that Godchaux often repeats from one painting to the next.
The tones are those of the end of the grape harvest: muted purples, deep greens, and pear-yellow hues. A traditional still life, in the vein of Philippe Rousseau and Antoine Vollon, but executed with a swift and sure hand.
Condition and Frame
Oil on re-stretched canvas. The re-stretching is old and well done: the canvas is flat, taut, with no visible warping or stretching. The paint layer is well-preserved; the impasto on the fruit and copper has been retained, and the colors have retained their freshness. The signature in the lower left corner is partially erased, likely due to an earlier cleaning, but remains legible and consistent with the artist’s signature. Modern gilded wooden frame with moldings, in good condition.
The Artist
Emile Godchaux was born around 1860 in Bordeaux and died in 1938. Little archival information is available about this artist: the Bénézit dictionary lists him as the son of the painter Alfred Godchaux (1835–1895), with whom he shares the same subjects and a very similar signature—the two men are, in fact, regularly confused. He has no connection, however, with the animal sculptor Roger Godchaux.
A painter of landscapes, seascapes, genre scenes, flowers, and still lifes, he sold many works during his lifetime, sometimes directly in public squares. It was his compositions of fruits and flowers that established his reputation, and it is these works that are sought after today.
Work on view at the gallery (07240)
Delivery and Shipping: Delivery available in metropolitan France. Please contact us for shipping rates within France and internationally.
Still Life with Grapes and Pears
Oil on canvas
Signed “Godchaux” lower left, partially erased
92 x 73 cm — 104 x 85 cm with frame (30 Figure format)
Condition: good condition, beautiful, fresh colors; some retouching on the background. Original stretcher.
Frame: modern gilded molded molding
An autumn composition, where everything revolves around materials that complement one another.
In the center, a large white earthenware fruit bowl with brown decoration, tilted toward us, overflowing with black grapes. Godchaux paints them one by one: each grape receives its own touch of light—bluish on some, almost pink on others—amidst the yellowing vine leaves and dry tendrils rising against the dark background.
On the right, a low basket filled with yellow pears resting on green leaves. In the foreground, a small copper pitcher with a black handle catches the light and provides the foreground’s only point of warmth—the red of the metal against the creamy white of the tablecloth.
Behind them, two objects anchor the right side of the canvas: a green-glazed pot with a bridge-shaped handle, whose enamel shimmers in broad patches, and a clear glass pitcher, barely outlined by a few white strokes. It is a very free-flowing painting, almost abstract when viewed up close.
The background remains dark and devoid of detail yet textured, barely lightened toward the right. This is a deliberate choice: nothing competes for attention with the fruit. On the tablecloth, a few stray grapes and a small fallen cluster enliven the edge of the table—a detail that Godchaux often repeats from one painting to the next.
The tones are those of the end of the grape harvest: muted purples, deep greens, and pear-yellow hues. A traditional still life, in the vein of Philippe Rousseau and Antoine Vollon, but executed with a swift and sure hand.
Condition and Frame
Oil on re-stretched canvas. The re-stretching is old and well done: the canvas is flat, taut, with no visible warping or stretching. The paint layer is well-preserved; the impasto on the fruit and copper has been retained, and the colors have retained their freshness. The signature in the lower left corner is partially erased, likely due to an earlier cleaning, but remains legible and consistent with the artist’s signature. Modern gilded wooden frame with moldings, in good condition.
The Artist
Emile Godchaux was born around 1860 in Bordeaux and died in 1938. Little archival information is available about this artist: the Bénézit dictionary lists him as the son of the painter Alfred Godchaux (1835–1895), with whom he shares the same subjects and a very similar signature—the two men are, in fact, regularly confused. He has no connection, however, with the animal sculptor Roger Godchaux.
A painter of landscapes, seascapes, genre scenes, flowers, and still lifes, he sold many works during his lifetime, sometimes directly in public squares. It was his compositions of fruits and flowers that established his reputation, and it is these works that are sought after today.
Work on view at the gallery (07240)
Delivery and Shipping: Delivery available in metropolitan France. Please contact us for shipping rates within France and internationally.
1 100 €
Period: 19th century
Style: Other Style
Condition: Excellent condition
Material: Oil painting
Width: 92 cm / 104 cm encadré
Height: 73 cm / 85 cm encadré
Reference (ID): 1815150
Availability: In stock
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