4308 - Édouard John Menta, "L’aubaine"

Édouard John Menta, "L’aubaine" A roadside market stall with a chestnut roaster, beside which stand an elderly woman cutting chestnuts and a dark-skinned gentleman in a long coat and a red top hat, the man warming his hands; in the background, a tree trunk, a railing and a bridge are depicted; a highly expressive, naturalistic, glazed genre painting with skilful characterisation of the figures; oil on canvas, late 19th century, signed ‘Menta’ lower left, titled ‘L’aubaine’ on the reverse, signed ‘Menta’ and dated ‘1917’, along with various labels, crackling, signs of wear, in a gilded stucco frame with a light-coloured inner moulding, inner dimensions approx. 65 x 50.5 cm. Artist information: also known as Édouard John Mentha (1858, Geneva - 1915), Swiss genre and landscape painter, studied under Barthélemy Menn, lived in Nice for a time; source: internet.