Country Tavern, Feasting
1875
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 74.93 × 107.32 cm (29 1/2 × 42 1/4 in.) framed: 99.06 × 133.99 × 6.67 cm (39 × 52 3/4 × 2 5/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CF
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (William A. Clark Collection)
Accession Number
2014.136.35
Art Historical Context
Eugène Isabey’s “Country Tavern, Feasting” (1875) captures a lively moment of rural sociability, drawing viewers into the warm interior of a French country inn where figures gather around a bountiful table. Painted in oil on canvas—a medium prized in the nineteenth century for its rich color and ability to render textures such as gleaming glassware, linen, and hearty food—the work measures roughly 75 by 107 centimeters and demonstrates Isabey’s command of light and atmosphere. The generous scale allows the scene to feel both intimate and expansive, inviting museum visitors to imagine the sound...
About the Artist
Eugène Isabey
Eugène Isabey (1803–1886) was a French painter and lithographer known for his dramatic seascapes, coastal scenes, and historical compositions. Born in Paris, he was the son of the celebrated miniaturist and portraitist Jean-Baptiste Isabey, who provided his early artistic training. The younger Isabey studied briefly with various masters but was largely shaped by his father's studio and by his own ...