Jules Jacques Veyrassat (1828-1893) - Hay collection

Oil on panel signed lower left
Dimensions: H. 27.5 x W. 46 cm (with frame: H. 56 x W. 72 cm)
Perfect Condition
Original wood and gilded stucco frame


Born in Paris in 1828, Jules Jacques VEYRASSAT is one of the finest representatives of the Barbizon School. He specialized in ploughing and draught horses, and like Rosa Bonheur, was able to portray them with exceptional veracity.
His work is close to that of Jean-François Millet, whom he knew well. Like Millet, he emphasized rural life, using the landscapes of Fontainebleau and Samois-sur-Seine as backdrops.

Jules Jacques Veyrassat studied in Paris with the great masters, including the painters Daubigny and Frère. By 1848, aged just 20, he was exhibiting his first works at the Paris Salon. In 1870, he was elected to the National Museums Commission, alongside Honoré Daumier (1808-1879) and under the presidency of Gustave Courbet (1819-1877). He is one of France's most awarded painters for his work on nature. Veyrassat was named Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1878. Although he never left France, his fame spread throughout Europe, particularly in England. Jules Jacques Veyrassat is buried in the Père-Lachaise cemetery.
Veyrassat was also a well-known engraver. Between 1866 and 1869, his engraving work earned him several medals. The British scientist Philip Gilbert Hamerton asked him to collaborate on several of his books: Chapters on Animals (1874) with Karl Bodmer, Etching and Etchers (1880)...

OUR PAINTING
Veyrassat received a very large number of orders, and his output is substantial: the quality of his work is uneven, whether in terms of subject matter or more or less accomplished craftsmanship; the subject of our painting is the most highly regarded for this artist, namely the work of peasants and haymakers in the presence of horses. It's a veritable document, with a particularly rich composition showing how the peasants worked. The details of the millstones, the numerous figures and the horses are carefully treated. The various work groups form an extremely skilful perspective and vanishing line. Men and animals are animated, and each figure or animal is captured in a different attitude. The cloudless sky, however, is superbly nuanced by the skilful gradation of pink and blue: with all his talent, Veyrassat makes us feel the heat rising on this late summer morning. This work on panel is in perfect condition, and has retained an exceptional freshness. The magnificent carved and gilded wood frame is original.