Animal painting “Flock in the Dutch countryside” Frans Lebret (1820 – 1909)

Oil on canvas, 73 x 100 cm – 122 x 148 cm (including frame)

Frans Lebret (Dordrecht 1820 – 1909) signed and dated on the fence on the left F.Lebret 1867, on the back there is a label with data from the archive of the private collection to which it belongs. A painting depicting a similar subject with the same dimensions dated 1870 is exhibited at the Dordrecht Museum. The two works were most likely part of a themed series. The monographic publications on the subject boast extensive literature on the author. (Bibliography: “ Vorstelijk Vee “ T. Bussum)

Frans Lebret, animal painter specializing in sheep and livestock, dedicates himself to the theme so obsessively as to obtain the nomination of "sheep portraitist", dedicates himself to the anatomical study creating many drawings and sketches, all preserved in the Dordrecht Museum, the works pictorial paintings reflect a profound knowledge of carefully executed details, making the subjects realistic and endowed with notable expressiveness. The creation of the coat is so realistic that you can perceive its downy, soft and dense consistency which gives the animals a typical appearance, the sweetness of the scene, the maternal care and the sense of peace and total immersion in nature make Lebret one of the most appreciated artists, linked to the Verboeckhoven animal school.

He was a pupil of the Dutch romantic landscape painter Willem de Klerk (1800 – 1876) taking inspiration from the works of Paulus Potter (1624 – 1654), a very famous animal painter in Holland in the XNUMXth century. In the Netherlands, currents of the animalier genre spread, proposing subjects linked to glimpses of daily life and activities such as herding, creating visibility and appreciation throughout Europe for this niche pictorial genre.

In 1863 Lebret ventured on a long journey to Java, crossed India and documented the stages in a travel diary composed of an album of drawings and dozens of watercolours; large-scale works on canvas remain very rare as even the Museum of Dordrecht mainly exhibits sketches, drawings and small paintings on wood. Upon his return to Holland Lebret was elected member of the Board of Directors and President of the Pictura Society of Dordrecht, the anniversary of his death was celebrated with a ceremony organized by his heirs attended by the curators of the Museum, the experts in Flemish animalier painting and who is given a gold medal.

The work is supported by a contemporary tablet frame of considerable ornamental size.
Furthermore, the gallery has established an email correspondence with the Dordrecht Museum where another painting of the same size is exhibited with a subject similar to the one described above, as previously mentioned. In fact, Lebret has always used smaller formats. The work deserves particular interest.