Sometimes, when I visit antique markets, I almost feel like delightful objects or collections find me, rather than the other way around. During my stay in the South of France I had the pleasure of being found by a wonderful collection of petite paintings {each a very packable 6″ x 8″ on average}. I love using small paintings to bring interest and depth to book shelves and other spaces where a larger piece won’t fit.
Distinctive artful pieces from far away places are the ultimate souvenirs for me, in French se souvenir is a reflexive verb meaning “to remember”. When I find a compelling piece in the markets I always wonder about the artist, usually unknown, and what their inspiration was to make each little brushstroke to create their beautiful finished work. Any little imperfections seems to make the works even more attractive to me. When incorporated into the furnishings of my home, they stir my imagination and remind me of our adventures and experiences every time I glance at them.
This brushy piece is of the famous Hotel Negresco in NIce, a reigning queen on the Côte de Azur for 100 years now. It is located on the busy Promenade des Anglais, the palm tree lined Boulevard that separates the city from the sea. The quick horizontal brush strokes at the bottom accurately depict the traffic that rushes up and down this beautiful and exciting route all day and night.
Not surprisingly, seascapes were prevalent in this region, this lovely little piece in a worn gilded frame will always remind me of the view from our house in Eze-bord-de-Mer.
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This beautiful scene is on a broken piece of board, maybe the artist didn’t like what she had painted on the other half? I loved the impressionist style of this painting and the historical view of how ladies used to dress when visiting the French Rivera.
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The woman from whom I bought it, at the market in Menton, France said that it was painted by a descendant of Edouard Manet, one of the great artists of the French Impressionist era.
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This little one reminds me of the the rocky, craggy, ocean~sprayed, pine~scented trails around Cap d’Antibes, Cap Ferrat, Cap d’Ail, and Cap Martin, that we hiked regularly.
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I found this little beauty on our trip to the market in L’Isle sur la Sorgue, the orchards remind me of those you see when driving the endless rural roads in rural France, and particularly of a trip we took to Burgundy one Fall.
I’m not sure which building this is, but it will remind me of the many beautiful churches and monasteries we visited. Especially the monastery in Cimez, a suburb of Nice, where Henri Matisse was buried. The marvelous Musée Matisse there that holds the largest collection of his work.
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We found a few treasures on a bigger scale as well. I am always attracted to any paintings with a flag, and especially a French flag. The cracking on this old piece makes it one of Captain Splendid’s favorites.
Here’s another salty love, that sky is so intensely dense and stormy.
Food related still lifes are something I always seek, the more homely looking the better. I have a few rustic beauties in our island cabin kitchen already, so I was beaming when I found this beautiful addition at the Cours Salaya in Nice.
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The realism of the wooden crate {barrel?}, pomegranate’s, branches and pieces of paper really blurs the line between where real life ends and the painting begins,
don’t you think?
What do you like to collect on your travels?
These are wonderful finds! I love going through markets when traveling and usually fill up containers worth of furniture, artwork, baskets…you name it. It gives my home and my showroom a well lived look and each piece is a memory and tells a story. I love Nice, summered in Eze Village very near Nice for many years…