Lot 74: Emile Auguste Hublin , French b. 1830 LE GOÛTER oil on canvas

signed E. Hublin and dated 1870 (center right) oil on canvas

measurements 32 by 25 1/2 in. alternate measurements 81.5 by 65 cm

Private Collection, United Kingdom (by 1950)
Thence by descent through the family (and sold: Sotheby's, London, June 27, 2007, lot 299, illustrated)

Emile Auguste Hublin studied at the École des Beaux-Arts beginning in 1855 and became a student of François Edouard Picot (1786-1868), who also taught William Adolphe Bouguereau. He exhibited at the Paris Salon between 1861 and 1880. In the present work, Hublin depicts a charming scene of a young girl sharing her simple meal with two brave birds. The vivid red cherries beside the broken bread on her plate temptingly glisten against the otherwise somber palette of the composition, attracting the attention of the birds and the viewer. The girl's turquoise necklace also draws the eye resting upon the porcelain brilliance of her delicate skin, as well as the bright materials in her sewing basket on the chair beside her. Her pale yet rosy complexion and short-sleeved chemise are softly but precisely rendered and appear to radiate light from within the dark interior.