Beautiful antique oil on canvas signed by European Symbolism artist Valentin Marie Alexandre Sellier in 1901, just a year after painting La Farandole de Petrarque for a public building in his birth town of Toulon, France.

Prior to painting my piece and La farandole,
Sellier (1872 - 1932) received a distinction in the prestigious Prix de Rome competition in 1897.

He studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts with professors Bouguereau and Gabriel Ferrier. He married in 1902 and moved to the United States leaving very little digital records of his beautiful European paintings which are mainly in private collections (like my painting).

This mythological painting depicts an enchanting woodland scene with a young boy playing the flute and ethereal dancers among the trees. Nymphs in the forest listening to his music aligns with the mythological European symbolism of the late 19th C and early 20th C.

Richly detailed foliage and vines that intertwine with the pale bodies as they also appear in his La Farandole de Petrarque and his maitre Bouguereau's paintings, and some of the paintings by Ferrier his other teacher.

The atmospheric lighting and romantic composition evoke the Symbolist artistic tradition of the early 20th Century. The previous age of Greek and Roman mythological fauns became delicate pale boys who no longer had horns and goat legs. By this time, they were beautiful, mystical, wood creatures. Compare the faces of the flutist boy and nymphs with those of the figures in La Farandole painting. Features also present in some of his teacher Gabriel Ferrier.

My painting is presented in an elaborate "heavy" antique gilt frame featuring sculptural floral and acanthus stucco leaves, consistent with the style of the frames of the time.

Buyer: handle painting by the wood frame, not by the delicate ornaments at the top of the painting!

I purchased this painting from Galerie Annick Mancheron in Paris, France in December 2007.
It was shipped to Ekstrand (my husband) and you can still see the shipping reference on the photo of the back of the painting.

I have included close-up photos of signature clearly showing Valentin Sellier's initial letter V with its horizontal flourish, as also visible in la Farandole de Petrarque the one other paining I found in the internet of a portrait.

Framed: 37" H x 32" W x 4" D
Canvas: 29" H x 24" W


Condition:
Alterations: Original Condition Unaltered
Imperfections: Some Imperfections
Condition Notes: Excellent condition for an antique paining 125 years old.
The frame is heavy and strong but the ornaments at top and acanthus leaves in the corners must be handled with care.

The corner cartouches and stucco open-work frame is consistent with late 19th C salon presentations in France.

Note: I tried to capture in the photos all the corners and the top of the frame showing some of the expected aged condition and some of the thin cracks in the joints. Handle with care when unpacking, grab by the strong frame instead of the very top ornaments.

The frame is very strong and heavy.
This frame is note weak and condition is according to the old age.

Origin:
France

Materials & Techniques:
Canvas

Details:
What type of item is it? Vintage / Antique / Used
Frame Type: Framed
Art Subjects: Mythology
Country of Origin: France

Original Condition Unaltered; Some Imperfections; Excellent condition for an antique paining 125 years old.
The frame is heavy and strong but the ornaments at top and acanthus leaves in the corners must be handled with care.

The corner cartouches and stucco open-work frame is consistent with late 19th C salon presentations in France.

Note: I tried to capture in the photos all the corners and the top of the frame showing some of the expected aged condition and some of the thin cracks in the joints. Handle with care when unpacking, grab by the strong frame instead of the very top ornaments.

The frame is very strong and heavy.
This frame is note weak and condition is according to the old age.