Portrait Of A French Boy From The 19th Century - 1897 Friendship Gift

Claude Firmin (1864-1944), Portrait of a young boy on October 19, 1897

Claude Firmin, painter from Avignon and member of the Group of Thirteen, created this superb, intimate portrait of a young boy in period costume. The painting has an inscription indicating that it was given to a friend by Firmin. Claude Firmin, known as “le Goy” (the lame in Provençal), painted numerous frescoes for the Avignon town hall. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1889 to 1922, receiving an honorable mention in 1902 for "Le Sentier des saules en Provence" and "Mon Doreur". Member of the Group of Thirteen, chaired by Clément Brun, Firmin is considered a master of Provençal painting. He became a professor in 1922 then director (1937-1941) of the École des Beaux-Arts in Avignon. He was named Knight of the Legion of Honor on January 29, 1937. Firmin painted the grandparents of the poet Henri Rode in the kitchen of their farm in Cairanne in 1902.

Dimensions: the panel measures 40 by 32 cm and with the frame approx. . 52 by 42 cm

Works selected from public collections: Calvet Museum (Avignon): - "The Brocanteur, or Interior of a repairer of art objects", 1896 - "Sablières du Rhône in Villeneuve-les-Avignon", 1905 - "Portrait of Noël Biret in his workshop" Louis Vouland Museum (Avignon): - "La Régalade", 1910 - "Farm interior", 1903 - "Le Départ"

Provenance: Private collection France