The image size of this print is 12 X 16 with Ample margins

LA PETIT TRIANON by Emile-Charles Dameron (1848 - 1908)

French painter Emile-Charles Dameron was born in Paris in 1848. He won a number of prestigious awards at the Paris Salon and was a regular exhibitor at the Salon from 1872 onward. His work, primarily landscapes and genre, realistically depicted the rustic French countryside and he was most noted during his lifetime for his paintings set on the banks of the Seine.

He also achieved notoriety in 1904 when " L'Illustration" included his work alongside Rodin's Thinker and other major works from the Salon of that year. Travelers to Europe today can see his pieces at museums throughout France in the cities of Lyon, Rouen and Liege.

One of his most celebrated pieces, Le Petit Trianon, depicts a carefree autumn afternoon at the country retreat built on the grounds of Versailles palace by Louis XV of France and Madame de Pompadour. With the ascension to the throne of Louis XVI, the Petit Trianon passed to Marie-Antoinette, who had fallen under the influence of the "noble savage" ideology popularized by the philosopher Rousseau, and became her favorite residence.

The house was built in the middle of the King's botanical garden and provided a welcome sanctuary from the stresses of court life. It was also built in a classically simple manner, far different from the ornate, elaborated in a Rococo manner that prevailed at the time

Dameron beautifully depicts the essence of the royal retreat. Afternoon light bathes the changing colors of the early autumn leaves. The simple farmhouse overlooks the river where elegant courtiers row on the glassy surface and stroll along the bank attended by peasants. This piece, while painted in the free manner of the period, recalls the extraordinary elegance of the period.