Though little known abroad, perrault enjoyed a considerable following in france as a painter of genre subjects and portraits. A student of picot and bouguereau, he made his first appearance in the paris salon in 1861. In addition to easel paintings he also produced some decorative works, including a ceiling decoration for the marriage chamber of the city hall of his native poitiers. In this interior scene that was first exhibited in the paris salon of 1873, perrault shows a pretty young mother holding her young son. The child is nude and the mother wears a kimono, with her left shoulder and breast exposed. Perrault has excelled in achieving a remarkable richness of colors and textures: the embroidered saffron-colored silk of the mother's kimono constrasts with the rich purple velvet upholstery of the chair. The vibrantly colored oriental rug and japanese carved teak bed, on which rests a punchinello doll, reflect the vogue for japanese products in 1870s france. Object Type: painting. Date: 1873. Place of creation: France. Dimensions: height: 170.3 cm (67 in); width: 111.4 cm (43.8 in); Framed height: 194.3 cm (76.4 in); width: 139.7 cm (55 in); depth: 8.9 cm (3.5 in). Medium: oil on canvas. Collection: Walters Art Museum. Leon Jean Basile Perrault - Maternity - Walters 372560
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