École Française (c. 1880) - Chez Maxim's

- Oil on canvas. Original canvas. Signed with initials and dated 1885.

- This 1885 still life is a visual manifesto of the Hedonistic Belle Époque, a period when haute cuisine became one of the fine arts. The composition celebrates controlled excess: a cooked lobster, whose coral red glows like a trophy on the table, surrounded by a variety of silvery-scaled fish that still seem to retain the shine of sea salt, symbolizing the absolute freshness demanded by the most discerning palates of fin-de-siècle Paris.

The axis of refinement is defined by the silver champagne cooler, where the sparkling bottle rests among ice fragments that the artist depicts with a vibrant, cold brushstroke. This detail is not incidental; champagne was the social lubricant of the great boulevards and Maxim’s private rooms. The work captures that moment of gastronomic anticipation, where the rough texture of the crustacean contrasts with the smooth surface of the chilled glass, evoking a world of endless banquets and a bourgeoisie that found in the pairing of seafood with Reims wine the ultimate expression of its triumph and sophistication.

- Image dimensions without frame: 82 x 60.5 cm / 93 x 70 cm with exclusive custom frame.

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