Private Dealers in Fine Irish and European Paintings

Pierre-Célestin Billet 1837 – 1922

Young Girl Grazing a Goat

Oil on canvas, 24 x 15 inches. Signed by the artist

Exhibited: Milmo-Penny Fine Art, Dec. 2002

The French genre painter and engraver, Pierre-Célestin Billet, was born in Cantin, Nord, in November 1837. He had a successful career at the Paris Salon where he made his debut at the age of thirty. Inspired by his master, Jules Breton, his paintings illustrate daily life in the French countryside in much the same way as his English counterparts; market scenes, peasant field-workers, shepherds and fishermen. Billet’s work may also be compared to that of Leon Lhermitte, another of Breton’s disciples. The rarity of works by Billet may explain why he is less well known even though his talent can be compared to that of Lhermitte. Indeed, Tolstoy regarded Breton, Lhermitte, Jules Bastien-Lepage and Jean-Francois Millet as the four great painters of his age. It is hardly a coincidence that they were all painters of peasant subject matter.

Although he was not alone in his endeavours, it could be said that Millet was the first to portray the peasant at work in the stereotype with which we have become familiar. The distinctive difference between his interpretation and the later renditions of his follower, Jules Breton, was a softening of the harshness portrayed by Millet and a sentimental idealisation of the lifestyle. The explanation for the diversification may be explained by Millet’s peasant roots, which would never have allowed him the luxury of portraying the lifestyle in any form other than the harshness of reality.

The young girl is portrayed here in the idealised manner of Jules Breton. Although she is presented in peasant dress, there is no feeling of hardship or discontentedness. Time does not matter to her. A sense of realism is established by the way in which the girl wraps the goat’s lead rope around her right hand and clutches the remaining end of the rope in her left hand. The slightness of the girl suggests that she would not manage to hold the goat if he bolted. The composition is by no means as casual as it first appears. The arrangement is carefully planned and contains the same elements as those found in Bouguereau’s La Couronne de Marguerites and By the Edge of the Brook; an attractive young girl is placed in the foreground; a colourful middle ground leads to a dark woodland to the right with an enticing view to the top left of a brightly lit sky glimpsed through the edge of the trees. There are further similarities worth mention in comparing the work to that of Jules Breton rather than Millet. The approach is more modern in it’s portrayal of a single character rather than a gathering of workers. It may be compared to paintings such as Woman Spinning, 1870; Girl Tending Cows, 1872; Village Girl, 1879 and The Song of the Lark, 1884.

 

Waiting for the Boats

 Oil on canvas. 9 x 12 ½ inches. Signed by the artist and dated 90

Exhibited: Milmo-Penny Fine Art, Dec. 2006

The fishergirl in this painting is also portrayed as Jules Breton would have seen her. She is portrayed in such an idealised way that the viewer would be happy to trade places for her contented way of life. She stretches out to rest on the high ground as she makes her way to the harbour. When the boats arrive she will fill her basket with fish. The hand-woven basket remains strapped to her shoulder, suggesting that she will not rest for long. She gazes out to sea, just as two boats appear on the horizon. She is lost in thought as she pulls the strings of her bonnet through her fingers. The corners of her bright red scarf are blown back in the warm breeze that rushes up the cliff face from the water below. She wears a bright green jacket over a long grey skirt. The costume is similar to that worn by the fishergirls of Cancale. Her rugged features and burnt skin suggest a life spent in the open air. We are reminded of the harshness of her existence by her bare feet.

The dramatic light on the horizon is made all the more spectacular by the sombre sky and monochrome grey of the vast rocks on which the girl lies. The starkness of the rock lifts the subtle blues of the sea directly below. The perspective of the composition is enhanced by a further glimpse of the ocean, just above the girl’s basket.

 

Two Girls on a Quayside

Oil on canvas. 18 x 13 ½ inches. Signed by the artist and dated April 1904

Exhibited: Milmo-Penny Fine Art, Dec. 2006

In contrast, the girls in this painting are in finer dress. It is difficult to tell if the painting simply portrays two friends passing the time of day or if there is a more complex storyline. The steamer on the horizon might suggest a desire to travel overseas or, could the sadness, which their demeanour seems to suggest, signify the departure of a friend or loved one. The younger girl looks intently in the direction of the ship, while the other stares down at the water below.

Harvest Girl Resting

Oil on canvas, 9½ x 14¼ inches. Signed by the artist and dated August 1879

Exhibited: Milmo-Penny Fine Art, Dec. 2007

The pensive expression of the girl in this study is perhaps what the painting is about. She has taken refuge in a forest clearing to find shelter from the sun. Her sickle lies on the ground amongst the wildflowers. The white cloth on which she rests suggests that she is waiting for the rest of her party to arrive with food for the midday meal, traditionally eaten in the fields. The dark background of the forest sets off her white bonnet which is tied in a neat bow below her chin. The faded blues of her costume work in harmony with the muted greens of the forest floor. The boldness of the signature suggests that this is a painting of which Billet was particularly proud.
 

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Private Dealers in Fine Irish and European Paintings
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