Maurice Hardyns (1876–1954) - Grand Homard – Pronkstilleven avec Argenterie - XL format

Maurice Hardyns (1876–1954)
Great Lobster – Luxury Still Life with Silverware
XL oil on canvas, signed, the artwork measures approximately 80 × 97 cm, with frame dimensions of approximately 101 × 119 cm.

A particularly impressive large oil still life by Maurice Hardyns, a Belgian academic painter whose work is institutionally confirmed. His painting, Belgian Interior, is part of the collection at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims in France, which significantly elevates the artist's stature and the market value of his works.

Historical paragraph

In 1946, Maurice Hardyns' work was selected for a prestigious donation presented by the Belgian side to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims in France. During the post-war period of rebuilding relations and cultural identity, only objects of the highest artistic caliber were exchanged, intended to showcase national craftsmanship on the international stage. The decision to include Hardyns' work in the state gift indicates that the artist was then at the peak of his career and regarded as one of the most important Belgian painters of his era.

What is particularly important for this offer is that the image for sale has almost identical dimensions, theme, and craftsmanship as the museum piece 'Intérieur belge' located in Reims. This directly compares the offered work with a museum-level creation, making it a unique collector's opportunity. The official museum card for Hardyns' work can be found here:

https://musees-reims.fr/oeuvre/interieur-belge

The presented work, titled 'Grand Homard – Pronkstilleven avec Argenterie,' showcases an impressive composition of the pronkstilleven type, a rich still life of opulence inspired by seventeenth-century Flemish tradition. At the center of the composition is a monumental red lobster surrounded by silverware, glass, copper, fruits, and lemons. The artist masterfully manipulates light and reflections of metals to achieve a remarkable effect of depth, shine, and realism.

The artwork was created using oil on canvas and signed in an original manner characteristic of the painter, with the signature MHardyns in the lower right corner. The size of the piece is similar to that of the museum work by Hardyns from Reims, which suggests it was created during a particularly representative and mature period of the artist's career.

Hardyns' works appear on the market very rarely, especially in such a large, complex, and elegant form. The offered painting is an example of the highest class of Belgian academic realism from the first half of the 20th century. It is preserved in good condition, in a decorative frame.

Item details
Artist Maurice Hardyns
Lifespan approximately 1876–1954
Country Belgium
Belgian academic realism art school from the early 20th century.
Grand Lobster – Luxury Still Life with Silverware
Oil on canvas technique.
Signature signed by M Hardyns in the bottom right corner.
Period 1900–1940
Good condition, typical signs of aging, decorative frame.
Private provenance collection
Confirmed presence of the artist in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims museums in France.
Transport properly secured, with insurance.
Decorative frame, stylistically matching.

Estimate 3,500–7,500 EUR

Comments for the curator
Artist confirmed institutionally by the Reims museum.
Rare large canvas of the highest quality in a realistic style.
A composition of the pronkstilleven type sought on the market.
Format identical to the image donated by Belgium to France for the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims.

Highlighting the importance of the donation

Maurice Hardyns' reference work titled 'Intérieur belge' is part of the collection at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims, donated in 1946. During the post-war period, only representative works considered the most important in the artist's oeuvre and the most valuable for showcasing national culture abroad were selected for such donations. This fact confirms the high standing of Hardyns' work as early as the 1940s.

Regarding the presented image, an almost identical format, related theme, and similar quality of execution suggest that the work could have been created during the artist's peak activity period. This, in turn, significantly enhances its investment and collection appeal. For the buyer, this means the opportunity to acquire a piece of a museum-like character, whose provenance and historical context increase its uniqueness and prestige.


Attention, Expert

The presented work by Maurice Hardyens is an excellent example of the highest quality Belgian academic painting from the first half of the 20th century. The artist, active during a period of particularly intense development in Belgian realist painting, was known for his exceptional talent in manipulating light, texture, and detail. His oeuvre is institutionally confirmed, and one of the most significant testimonies is the presence of the painting Interior belge in the collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims, one of France's leading museums.

The fact that the aforementioned work by Hardyns was formally transferred to Reims in 1946 as part of the post-war donation of Belgian art (Section Belge de l’Idée Française à l’Étranger) takes on particular significance. It was a period when countries carefully selected objects to be handed over to international partners, choosing only works considered representative, of exceptional artistic and symbolic value. The decision to include Hardyns’ work in such a prestigious selection clearly indicates his position within the artistic community – he was regarded as one of the leading representatives of Belgian academicism, and his paintings were considered especially valuable examples of native painting.

The offered work Grand Homard – Pronkstilleven avec Argenterie shows a striking similarity to the museum piece not only in style and quality but also in format, which is almost identical (about 80 × 97 cm as in the painting from Reims). This coincidence may suggest that the painting originates from the same period of Hardyens' peak artistic activity, when he created his most representative compositions. Canvases of such large format were costly, made for display in salons, residences, or prestigious spaces, and their creation was usually associated with higher commissions and prestige.

The composition of a pronkstilleven, crafted by Hardyns with exceptional attention to detail, references the Flemish tradition of the 17th century – an era that gave Europe some of the most magnificent still life representations. The monumental red lobster, the shine of silver, reflections of metals, transparency of glass, softly modeled fruits, and the characteristic lemon with its peel turned back—all these elements indicate a conscious nod to the highest standards of old Flemish painting. However, Hardyns interprets them in the spirit of 20th-century academicism, combining historical stylization with modern precision and a more subtle approach to light.

It is worth emphasizing that Hardyns' works rarely appear on the secondary market, and large formats with such rich composition are among the rarest and most sought after by collectors. The painting combines three key features that significantly increase its investment value: outstanding artistic quality, a strong connection to museum-verified work, and rarity of occurrence.

The context of the painting for the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims is particularly significant here. It means that Hardyns' work was already recognized in the 1940s as worthy of representing Belgian national art on the international stage. This, in turn, suggests that the offered painting, closely connected to a museum piece, can be regarded as a work of a museum character, ideally suited for private, institutional, or ceremonial collections.

For a collector, this is an opportunity to acquire a work of exceptional significance, not only aesthetic but also historical. The combination of a classic Flemish pronkstilleven, high-quality academic realism, the artist's confirmed position in museums, and a direct connection to a national donation creates a unique set of features that rarely appears on the market.

The painting is kept in good condition, in a decorative frame that harmoniously complements the overall composition. This work will certainly meet the expectations of a collector seeking a piece of museum quality.
Warmly, I greet you :-))