19th-Century Works of Art: Featuring Works from The Muriel S. and Noah L. Butkin Collection Sold to Benefit the Cleveland Museum of Art
19th-Century Works of Art: Featuring Works from The Muriel S. and Noah L. Butkin Collection Sold to Benefit the Cleveland Museum of Art
Louis Gallait
Maternity
Lot Closed
May 24, 03:44 PM GMT
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Louis Gallait
Belgian
1810-1887
Maternity
signed, dated and inscribed Louis Gallait/ Paris 185[?] (lower right)
oil on canvas
canvas: 47 ¼ by 37 ¼ in.; 120 by 94.5 cm
framed: 61 ⅗ by 52 in.; 156.5 by 132 cm
Caroline & Maurice Verbaet Collection
Sale: De Vuyst, Lokeren, 19 May 2018, lot 24
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Realized in searing contrasts of light and shadow, Louis Gallait's Maternité is a solemn study of motherhood and the familial will to survive. Nestled beneath a barred window against the façade of stony building, a crouching mother cradles a child in one arm and raises the other to the young boy standing at her side playing the violin. His proud pose and determined gaze counter her skyward glance and seeming despair, suggested by the two tears that stain her cheek.