Hugues Merle Oil on Canvas of the Artist’s Family in a Woodland Landscape

This beautifully rendered oil on canvas by French painter Hugues Merle (1822–1881) depicts the artist’s wife and four children gathered together on a leisurely afternoon beside a river. Set beneath the shade of towering trees, the intimate family scene unfolds within an idyllic woodland landscape, with distant mountains and water visible through the trees beyond.

At the center, Merle’s wife sits surrounded by the children, whose varied poses give the composition a wonderful sense of life and tenderness. One rests in her arms while the others gather closely around her. The painting is presented in an elaborate carved frame with a cream-and-white patinated finish, its scrolling foliate ornament providing a handsome architectural border for the richly colored scene.

This exceptional oil on canvas is by French painter Hugues Merle (1822–1881), a notable 19th-century artist.

Frame: 44″ High x 34″ Wide

Image: 35″ High x 26″ Wide

Circa 1850