DEFER Jules (1803-1902)

"Shepherds and his flock in the hinterland of Nice, 1883"

Oil on canvas, formerly re-lined (original frame),
Monogrammed lower right, dated 1883 and located "Nice",

Beautiful and luminous work of the Nice painter Jules Defer which represents a view of the hinterland of Nice, certainly the Vallée du Paillon.
We can see in the foreground, the herd of cows and sheep drinking in a pool of water while the two shepherds are resting under the shade of olive trees finely made and surrounded by Mediterranean vegetation.
The second plan, offers us a general view of the valley with a village or a monastery and animated by two characters walking on the path. It could be a view of the Saint-Pons or Laghet monastery near Nice.

A pupil of the famous landscape painter Jean-Victor Bertin, Jules Defer entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1824.
From 1829, he entered the competition for the Grand Prix de Rome in the "Historical Landscape" section.
He settled on the French Riviera shortly after the attachment of Savoy and the county of Nice (1860), first in Monaco, then in Nice around 1863. He devoted himself all his life to the production of paintings brushed on the motif in the Nice region, generally in small formats, imbued with a beautiful sensitivity and highly sought after by collectors.
By his precise gesture and his palette of colors, the painter Jules Defer succeeds in depicting with precision and on the spot the Mediterranean vegetation, its atmosphere and its play of light.
This work is a fine testimony to the end of the 19th century in the city of Nice.

Nb: An old restoration in the sky at the top left and some small cracks in the center.

Dimensions: 47 x 72 cm without its frame and 57 x 82 cm with its original gilded wooden frame.

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