Channeling Homme

Some women are into shoes, some women are into bags, some women are into jewelry. Me, I am into 19C European paintings, un portrait, s'il vous plait~

The 19C is a great period for art and collection; the range is incredible, the themes are attractive, the quality can be magnificent and the prices are still affordable. I am not a trust-fund baby, I am just an art-lover who has worked her butt off; I saw & learned a lot at the Louvre, and I shop very very very carefully.

Anyway, isn't he tres beau? I'm not doing a good job of enlarging photos on my blog yet (help! Jo!) so it's hard to appreciate at regular photo size. He is said to be vers 1830, ecole de Delacroix; I have not yet investigated this painting though the reverse offers clues. Eugene Delacroix, b. 1798 d. 1863; here is his self portait, similar ochre background in rough strokes like David here~
or here, the similar brushstrokes and ochre background for the beautiful Neo-classical Mme. Juliette Recamier by David~one of the very best of all time a mon avis~~~~~~~
Delacroix and his students perhaps got looser in their strokes as le maitre aged, but I have always appreciated the realism of this portrait. I bought this painting in Belgium a while ago, and I love him....he is calm, confident. Direct. You could reach out and feel his mustache, touch his forehead and the soft curls in his hair~
He always looked slightly more Northern than French, to me. Is it his hair and his heavy cloak? And, he is homeless. I wanted him downstairs or in the staircase, but he is now hanging on some paneling in the grand salon. For now. That's better than the floor, where most of the other art is still sitting, years later. R says his eyes follow him around the room and that creeps him out a little, but I love him, as I love all Renaissance men or things masculine. If you didn't see my post on Man Clean, please do...

HOMME is a definite theme for this trip, among others; I got these fantastic +/-3ft tall hat stands from the Twins, and added a 19C casque de pompier (fireman's helmet) and a vers 1950 kepi, GC for Garde Champetre, which is like the old rural police, longer story but here they are~

the casque is great on a stand or else on top of a pile of books; it should have an enormous red plume in the holder, but I just added a ladies' black piece to show; I have another that is not yet so polished; there is a longer story to these~
also, a vers 1940 drum, the skin is broken on both sides, but it is fabulously made with leather and cording and full copper side~
it also has the original copper-trimmed drum sticks and full leather holder, which goes over the shoulder; at the time, the drum was clipped to this shoulder strap~
and the buckle is also solid copper; all original, as the French say, "au jus." I bought this from my friend Patrick; I shopped from his truck before he could unload it; take that, take that take that. Score!
Yesterday I went shopping by flashlight at 5am. A few pieces, but my major score was a trio of fleurets or lightweight fencing swords. Fencing is called escrime in French, and French is the official language of the sport, which is considered to be a martial art, at least in France~
AND a pair of masques. This is another "start the car" moment. I also bought some vintage wire egg baskets from this guy, and he mostly had junk. But these masks are fully trimmed in leather, including the bavette. Baver is to drool. A bib is called a bavette, and so is the little thing covering the chin on a masque d'escrime....don't they look fantastic displayed like this?
I will have an announcement on October 1st, including a giveaway. NO the fencing masks are not to be given haha I have to figure out what I have. The fleurets are marked so I have to research. But, stay tuned....lots of good stuff to come from this trip!!!