Pierre Denis Bergeret (1846 - 1910)

Still life with earthenware and cheese plate
Oil on canvas signed lower left
H.28 cm x W.34 cm (with frame : H.50 cm x W.56 cm)

Denis Bergeret is a French painter born in 1846 and died in 1910. He followed the pure classical tradition, after having been taught by the greatest masters of the time, Eugène Isabey, Jules Lefebvre and Léon Bonnat. In 1870, when he was only 21 years old, he began to exhibit at the official Paris Salon, where he presented works until 1908.

He died prematurely, leaving a rather small production, all the more rare as a large number of his paintings were acquired by museums in France, Switzerland and Belgium: Bernay, Ghent, Geneva, Pau, Rouen, Château de Malmaison, Charenton-le-pont ... and above all a very beautiful still life kept by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Bergeret's touch is light, his colors are bright, making his works sensual and greedy. Much appreciated during his lifetime, Bergeret was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1900.

The composition of our still life is very successful. As if illuminated by a ray of sunlight, the earthenware emerges from the darkness. In the darkness of the background and the entablature, Bergeret lets us see a rich material thanks to transparencies and clever impastos. With this magnificent work, Bergeret places himself at the level of Guillaume Fouace, also a great specialist of culinary subjects. The atmosphere and the spirit of Chardin are not far away.
This work is in absolutely perfect condition, on its original canvas. The thick material is intact, no repainting is to be reported. The painting is still in its very rich wood and gilded stucco frame, which is also in wonderful condition.