Frans Lebret – Evening landscape with resting sheep – circa 1875

Frans Lebret – Evening landscape with resting sheep, circa 1875

An atmospheric 19th-century Dutch landscape by Frans Lebret, painted in oil on canvas. In his day Lebret was known as the sheep painter of Dordrecht, much loved for his tranquil landscapes with flocks, soft evening skies and an almost tangible calm.

Two ewes lie on a sandy path among large burdock leaves. Their thick fleeces are built up with rich, impasto brushwork, so the light catches beautifully on the surface. In the centre stands a dark brown ram looking straight at the viewer. Further back, the flock grazes towards a dark line of trees, while the clouds part to let warm, golden evening light fall across the landscape.

Frans Lebret was born and died in Dordrecht; his work is held in Dutch museum collections including the Rijksmuseum and the Dordrechts Museum. This painting is no longer visibly signed, as the canvas was relined in the past. However, an old handwritten note on the stretcher states that the original canvas was signed in paint on the reverse: “Frans Lebret, Dordrecht.” The work is set in a richly decorated gilt wood and gesso frame with floral ornaments and a brass name plate reading Frans Lebret 1820–1909.

Why we chose this piece

Not a grand or theatrical landscape, but an intimate painting full of stillness, depth and soft light, one you can keep looking at for a long time.

Style and interior

The substantial frame gives the work great presence: a strong ensemble above a mantelpiece, cabinet or console in a classic or eclectic interior.

Dimensions: painting 31.5 cm high, 41.5 cm wide; including frame 60 cm high, 71 cm wide, 12 cm deep
Material: oil on canvas; gilt wood and gesso frame
Designer/Maker: Frans Lebret
Style: Romanticism
Period: circa 1875
Origin: Netherlands. Provenance: estate of P.F. Zimmerman, Valckenburgflat 51–52, Oosterbeek, 16 September 1975; thereafter private collection, the Netherlands (recorded on an old handwritten label on the stretcher).
Condition: good antique condition. The canvas was relined in the past and is stable. Age craquelure across the paint surface. The frame shows small losses, wear and older restorations to the gesso ornament.

Price:
€ 1.395

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