Auguste Besnou – “a Good Catch” – Oil On Canvas – Late 19th Century

Auguste Besnou (active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries)

Une bonne prise (A Good Pinch)

Oil on canvas depicting a family genre scene by a river.

An elderly man, leaning on his walking stick, offers a pinch of snuff to a little girl, while her mother and grandparents look on with amusement. In the background, a young woman hangs out laundry near a house, while the landscape opens onto a river and wooded hills.

This narrative composition, tinged with humour, offers a glimpse into the customs and everyday life of the late 19th century. The original French title, Une bonne prise, inscribed on the reverse of the painting, highlights the playful nature of the scene.

Auguste Besnou was a French painter active at the turn of the 20th century. A pupil of Caffieri, he exhibited in Blois and Toulouse between 1895 and 1904. His works, mainly genre scenes and landscapes, are recorded in several exhibition catalogues from this period.

Signed “A. Besnou” in the lower right corner.

The painting has undergone professional restoration.

Period: Late 19th – early 20th century
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 40 × 60 cm (excluding frame)
Title: Une bonne prise, inscribed on the reverse
Condition: Professionally restored
Frame: Light-coloured moulded frame