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| Title | Interior of Church | |
| Collection | Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle | |
| Artist | Attributed to manner of Bouton, Charles-Marie (French painter and draftsman, 1781-1853) | |
| Date Earliest | about 1810 | |
| Date Latest | about 1840 | |
| Description | In what is pprobably a country church, a priest is holding a chalice. Placed in a pool of light, he attracts the eye, which then follows the edge of the shadow towards a group of peasants attending mass. The soft light falling on the main elements, combined with the figures left in the shade, create an atmosphere of calm and devotion. This is attributed to Bouton, who painted many church interiors in warm colours contrasting areas of shadow and light, as is the case here. | |
| Current Accession Number | B.M.434 | |
| Former Accession Number | No. 296 | |
| Subject | interior (church) | |
| Measurements | 30.5 x 23 cm (estimate) | |
| Material | oil on canvas | |
| Acquisition Details | Bequeathed by the founders John and Joséphine Bowes 1885. | |
| Principal Exhibitions | Saving for the Future, The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, 2001. | |
| Notes | This painting was listed as no. 296 in John Bowes' catalogue, as 'Interior of a Church, Charles Marie Bouton, b.1781, d.1852'. The dates given place the painting around the time of 'troubadour' paintings. The attribution to Bouton is uncertain, but a few paintings by this artist presenting similarities of composition may be found: St Louis at his Mother's Tomb, Fontainebleau, has a column to the left and a perspective similar to B.M.434; Moine en prière dans une église en ruines, Musée de Saint-Lô, has a vaulted ceiling, perspective, steps to the left of the composition and a central figure which can be compared to the Bowes painting; Baths of Julien shows a vaulted ceiling, has a perspective with a window in the background, and two figures on the left hand-side. These examples suggest that even though the Bowes picture may not be by Bouton, it certainly is in his manner. | |
| Rights Owner | The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham | |
| Author | Dr Maylis Hopewell-Curie | |