Object Description
19th century oil painting of a market scene by H. C. Bryant
English, 1877
Canvas: Height 51cm, width 76.5cm
Frame: Height 68cm, width 93.5cm, depth 5cm
Painted by the English artist Henry Charles Bryant, this lively scene is typical of Bryant’s oeuvre. Bryant specialised in market and farmyard scenes, inspired by 17th century Dutch genre painting which similarly depicted vignettes of everyday life. Bryant’s realistic painterly style also recalls these Dutch genre scenes, which in turn were inspired by the form and content of Early Netherlandish painters like Hieronymus Bosch. This work is one of the finest examples of Bryant’s work in this genre.
Filled with detail and rendered in life-like oils, the painting depicts a bustling market scene. No detail has been spared by Bryant when rendering each vegetable, flower, or livestock animal, and the produce fills the canvas to create an almost trompe l’oeil effect. There is a strong sense of character created, with each figure engaged in buying or selling market wares. This extends even to the far background, where a seller wrenches a goose from a cage to show prospective buyers, and a group of men unload a series of vegetable crates. The colours of the painting are particularly impressive; eye-catching and bright with an almost lustrous quality that helps to bring the scene to life.
Enclosed in a beautiful giltwood frame, the painting is signed in the lower left corner ‘H. C. Bryant 1887’. Bryant worked mainly in London, and in the latter half of the 19th century exhibited frequently at the Royal Society of British Artists, Royal Academy, and the British Institution.
Exceptionally detailed and wowing with its vibrant colour palette, this fantastic painting would make a superb addition to any collection of art or antiques.