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Hugues Merle (French, 1822-1881) Couronne de Fleurs des Champs (Field Flower Wreath)

Note Born in Saint Marcellin, Hughes Merle attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. There, he was under the tutelage of Léon Cogniet, who encouraged him to exhibit in the 1847 Paris Salon – his first of many Salon exhibitions. Merle is highly regarded for his meticulous, sensitive, and tender depictions of a variety of subjects, including literary, allegorical, and historical themes, and above all, for his paintings of domestic and female subjects – including the theme of mother and child, as in the present work. Introduced to the famed fellow French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau by the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, Merle became a great influence on his younger counterpart, and the two artists soon became rivals. With paintings in major collections, Merle remains well known today for his abi