3706 - BOCION, FRANÇOIS (1828 Lausanne 1890): "Savoyards on Their Way to the Vevey Market"

BOCION, FRANÇOIS (1828 Lausanne 1890): "Savoyards on Their Way to the Vevey Market" Oil on canvas, mounted on painting board 22x39 cm, framed Provenance: Private collection, Switzerland. Bibliography: Michel Reymondin, François Bocion. Oeuvre raisonné, Gland 2011, p. 53, no. 269 (with illustration). The Vaud painter François Bocion trained under the finest drawing instructors in Switzerland. As an established artist, he specialized in both history painting and landscape depictions of his hometown, Vevey. However, he was interested not only in the landscapes but also in their inhabitants. As seen in the work on offer, he visited his city’s Sunday markets and captured them in scenes of everyday life. While most market-goers traveled on foot, the Savoyard merchants traveled by lake to the historic market towns—Lausanne, Morges, Nyon, Rolle, and Vevey. Such crossings of Lake Geneva appear repeatedly in Bocion’s oeuvre, often accompanied by groups of people in small boats. The painter chose this perspective very deliberately in order to showcase the mighty Mont Blanc massif in the background. In doing so, he combined detailed landscape painting, observant and realistic genre painting, and marine painting—a genre uncommon in Switzerland. Auction start time: November 6, 2026, 6:00 p.m.