Edmond Louis Dupain Oil on canvas The Tithe oil on canvas circa 1880-1890
In this beautiful painting, Edmond Louis Dupain depicts a lively scene in which the decimator (the monk) collects the tithe. The contribution originally evoked in the Bible, on Abram's proposal to the high priest Melchisedech in the Book of Genesis, was taken up by Jacob after the ladder dream, when he vowed to give God a tenth of what God would give him. The principle was taken up again in the form of a 10% tax, from which no one is exempt, in favor of the church. This practice came to an end in France during the Revolution.
Edmond Dupain's technique is precise and his color palette soft and poetic. The painting is full of superbly realistic details, and despite the subject, of great beauty, with this beautiful clump of Roses Trémières in the left-hand part of the painting.
Our painting is signed lower right.
Sizes unframed: W 27.95 In. - H 18.89 In.
Sizes framed: W 42.126 In. - H 32.67 In.
In very good condition, our painting has been restored and is served by its magnificent original wood and gilded stucco frame, which has a few small cracks.
Biography:
Edmond Louis Dupain was born on January 13, 1847 in Bordeaux (Gironde), and died on August 10, 1933 in the 14th arrondissement of Paris.
As a genre painter, he produced paintings populated by musketeers and elegant women often accompanied by greyhounds. He also paints mythological subjects and seascapes, as well as magnificent portraits in the straight line of Alexandre Cabanel of whom he was a pupil, an excellent draughtsman.
A delicate colorist, he possesses a fine quality of the composition.
He was a pupil of Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889) and Jean-Marie Oscar Gué (1809-1877).
He started his career at the Salon in 1870 with Mort de la Nymphe Hespérie and continued to exhibit regularly at the Salon des Artistes Français.
Member of the Artistes Français since 1883. He was awarded a third-class medal in 1875, first-class in 1877, honorable mention at the 1878 Universal Exhibition, a bronze medal at the 1889 Universal Exhibition, and Chevalier de Légion d'Honneur in 1894.
His works include: Le Centenaire de l'École Polytechnique. He painted a ceiling for the Paris Observatory.
Works in public collections:
Museum of Fine Arts of Bordeaux.
Paris Observatory.
