{"product_id":"antique-signed-european-fruit-still-life-oil-painting-1918","title":"Antique Signed European Fruit Still Life Oil Painting, 1918","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe crimson autumn leaves at the top are what caught me first, painted loose and wet against a gray wall. Below them a wicker basket holds two yellow pears and red apples, with a straw-wrapped glass flask standing at the right and one more apple set out on the ledge, stem and leaves still attached. The brushwork gets freer the further it moves from the fruit, and the pears are the most finished thing in the picture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Artist | Unidentified\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Signature | Signed in red paint, lower left, with the date 1918. The name appears to read “May Moreau,” but that reading is not certain and the artist has not been identified in the records I searched.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Medium | Oil on canvas\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Subject | Still life of apples and pears in a wicker basket, with a straw-wrapped glass flask and autumn leaves\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Origin | Continental European, likely French\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Age | Dated 1918 beside the signature\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Canvas Size | 12 in. W x 16 in. H\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Frame Size | 14.5 in. W x 18.5 in. H\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Format | Vertical\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Frame | Gilt composition frame with a laurel-leaf outer border and a beaded sight edge. Period style, and not stated to be original to the painting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Style | Naturalistic oil still life, with loose, visible brushwork in the leaves, wicker and background\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Support | Canvas on a keyed wooden stretcher\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[condition]\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe paint surface is stable in the photographs, and I see no tears, punctures or bulges. There is fine craquelure in places, small light flecks along the right and bottom edges and on a leaf at upper left, and a short fine red scratch beside the green apple at left. Several tiny white marks sit near the lower right corner. The varnish reads patchy and matte across the upper third and the leaves. I have not examined the surface under ultraviolet light, so I can’t speak to retouching beyond what is visible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eFrom the reverse, the canvas looks unlined, a single layer of open-weave fabric with scattered brown spotting, held on a keyed stretcher with tacks visible along the edge. I found no labels, stamps or inscriptions on the canvas or stretcher. The back of the frame carries pencil marks, paint spatter and a strip of tape residue near the top edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe frame is bright gilt with fine detail in the laurel border and no significant losses visible in the photographs. It looks later than the painting, and I can’t confirm it is original to it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ePlease review all photographs closely, as they form part of this description.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Austyn Marie Design","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67636982808854,"sku":"ENM-2263","price":850.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0896\/4623\/5926\/files\/October2026-12570.jpg?v=1791674855","url":"https:\/\/austyn-marie.myshopify.com\/products\/antique-signed-european-fruit-still-life-oil-painting-1918","provider":"Austyn Marie Design","version":"1.0","type":"link"}