Ent. By Xavier Leprince - Picnic In The Forest Circa 1825

Entourage of Xavier LEPRINCE
(Paris 1799 - Nice 1826)
Picnic in the forest
Oil on canvas
H. 36 cm; L. 26 cm

This picnic scene places us around 1825/35, which makes it a rare representation of such a subject in the first years of its popularization. Here we see a family seated in the undergrowth where even a dog has the right to approach its muzzle. We can clearly see the basket and a bundle used to carry the food to the edge of this stream. On the right of the composition, a man returns carrying a basket of bottles that he had left to cool in this stream.

This composition is to be compared to the works of painter such as Bertin, Dunouy, and especially Xavier Leprince, accustomed to works animated by characters.