Arabian Horses In Front Of A Property, By Auguste De Molins

Arabian horses held by a groom in front of the brick entrance of a property.
Oil on canvas signed lower right Auguste de Molins.
Very good condition, beautiful gilded wooden frame.
Frame 40x46 cm

Auguste de Molins is a Swiss animal painter born in 1821 in Lausanne, died in the same city in 1890. Although his style is quite far from the Impressionists, he exhibited alongside the painters of the Barbizon school from 1871 and the Impressionists from 1872. A student of Victor Chavet in Geneva, he worked in France where he participated in the Salon in 1850 and 1870. During the Franco-German War of 1870, Durand-Ruel rented a gallery in London where he exhibited the works of refugee artists and those hastily taken from Paris. Auguste de Molins exhibited his paintings there in 1871 and 1872 with the Barbizon painters and the Impressionists.
In 1874, he took part in the First Exhibition of Impressionist Painters at Nadar's, who painted his portrait. He was among the very few chosen ones who received critical acclaim with Léon-Auguste Ottin: in La Presse, Émile Cardon wrote on 29 April 1974 "Messrs Brandon, Cals, de Molins cannot without injustice be considered as followers of the "new school". We will therefore not concern ourselves here with them or their works, assured of finding them at the Palais des Champs-Élysée or rue Le Peletier".
He bought La Grisette from Auguste Renoir, and bought two more paintings by the master at the Impressionist sale of 24 March 1875 at the Hôtel Drouot: Grand vent paysage, and Femme en promenade. He later taught painting and drawing in Lausanne. Germain Nouveau, (a friend of Verlaine) wrote from London to Jean Richepin: "Not very good Turner, an English painter to whom Molins would have refused moonlight lessons, a judgment all the more unfair since Monet drew his inspiration from Turner for his painting Impression, Sunrise which was to give its name to the movement through the press." The works of Auguste de Molins are exhibited at the Neuchâtel Museum. His hunting scenes and landscapes are on sale, notably Chiens cherche sur la piste, Rendez-vous de chasse à courre.
At the first Impressionist exhibition, de Molins exhibited: No. 92: The Coming storm 10, No. 93: Rendez-vous de chasse, No. 94: Relais de chiens, No. 94 bis, Rendez-vous de chasse