95 - Henri-Joseph Harpignies (French, 1819-1916) Souvenir d'Ile de France signed and dated ‘H Harpignies 76’ (lower centre) oil on card laid down on canvas Unframed: 17.7 x 62.4 cm. (7 x 24 5/8 in.) Framed: 37.4 x 80.3 cm. (14 3/4 x 31 5/8 in.) With H. Terry-Engell Gallery, London, by 1972; Sale; Sotheby’s, Billingshurst, 26 January 1999, lot 234; Sale; W.H. Lane & Son, Penzance, 9 June 2005, lot 356. Property from a Distinguished U.K. Private Collection Exhibited: London, H. Terry-Engell Gallery, 'Paysages de France', 3 May - 31 May 1972, no. 26. Henri-Joseph Harpignies was a distinguished French landscape painter whose work is closely linked to the Barbizon tradition. Born in Valenciennes, he studied under Jean-Achard and was deeply influenced by Camille Corot. From 1853 Harpignies exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon and earned numerous accolades, including appointment to the Legion of Honor. His style was ever changing throughout his career, however comparison can be made between the present work and View of the Château d'Hérisson held by the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (no. s0450S1995) executed just 5 years earlier in 1871.1 Both works capture the soft tones of the French countryside, with traditional architecture scattered amongst them, set against a clear blue sky, consistent with the Barbizon school. In nineteenth-century France, red flags on tall poles were standard visual markers used by engineers and surveyors to map topography or outline land for major infrastructure projects, such as railways and canals, which is perhaps what is being depicted here. References: 1 A. Vergeest, The French collection: nineteenth-century French paintings in Dutch public collections, Amsterdam, 2000, p. 197