"The Savoyard And His Marmot XVIII Century, Attributed To Marin Drolling (1752-1817)"
Oil on canvas mounted on its original frame, framed by a 19th century gilded frame. The painting is in good general condition despite some old restorations. The painting dates from the end of the 18th century. The frame has some chips, it is still very correct.Size of the canvas: 41 x 32 cm
Size with the frame: 49 x 41 cm
Magnificent painting with lots of details and a true testimony of a vanished era.
At the Petit Palais museum in Paris you can see several paintings on the same theme, see photos.
The little Savoyard with his groundhog.
In the cold season, the Savoyards went up to the capital to work as scavengers, coachmen, servants or even chimney sweeps for the youngest (because of their small size). Some took with them a tame marmot: animal trainers were very popular with the Parisian people. “These Allobroges of all sexes and all ages do not limit themselves to being messengers or chimney sweeps. Some carry a hurdy-gurdy under their arm and accompany it with a nasal voice. Others have a groundhog box for any treasure. They carry the magic lantern on their backs, and announce it in the evening by means of a nocturnal organ, whose sounds become more pleasant and more touching among the silence and the darkness. »(Extract from Le Tableau de Paris, Louis-Sébastien Mercier," Les Savoyards ", chap. CL, t. II) The Allobroges designate the Gallic people who lived between the Rhône, Isère and Lake Geneva, but the term is also used in a pejorative way in the sense of “barbaric, uneducated”.
Attributed to Martin Drolling (1752-1817). French.
Painter of genre, interiors, portraits.
Museums: Aix - Bordeaux - Graz - Orléans - Paris - Le Puy en Velay - Soissons
Painter referenced on Artprice and in the Bénézit, see the last photo.
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