Marc M Mouclier 1941 - French Impressionist Oil Painting , Cattle Landscape WWII

Original Painting

Marc M. Mouclier (1866–1947) - Oil on Board
“Seated Figure with Cattle by a River”

A rare wartime French oil capturing a moment of rural calm during World War II

Key Details

Artist: Marc M. Mouclier (1866–1947)
Title: “Seated Figure with Cattle by a River”
Medium: Oil on board
Support: Artist’s board
Signature: Signed indistinctly lower left and dated 1941. IClearer under UV light - see image.
Dimensions: Image: 15 × 21.5 cm (5.9 × 8.5 in)
Condition: Very good vintage condition
Provenance: Private collection; auction and gallery documented

Description

This signed oil painting by Marc M. Mouclier, dated 1941, depicts a seated figure beside grazing red cattle along a riverbank. Executed during the Second World War, the work offers a rare and poignant contrast between pastoral tranquillity and the wider historical tensions of the period. Expressive, textured brushstrokes reveal Mouclier’s impressionist sensibility, subtly infused with a symbolist quietude.

The painting is presented in a period gilt wood frame with ivory mount, ready to hang, and works equally well as a refined interior piece or as a serious addition to a 20th-century collection.

About the Artist

Born in Aigre, Charente, Marc M. Mouclier trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Gustave Boulanger, Jules Lefèbvre, and Luc-Olivier Merson, and also studied at the Académie Julian. He moved within progressive Parisian circles and maintained close connections with artists associated with the Nabis movement, including Pierre Bonnard, Édouard Vuillard, and Félix Vallotton.

Mouclier exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français (1889–1890), the Salon des Indépendants (1903–1905), and later at Galerie Le Niveau in the 1930s. In addition to painting, he produced lithographs, woodcuts, and symbolist graphic works, and co-founded the publication L’Omnibus de Corinthe with Alfred Jarry. His work is held or documented in major public institutions including the Musée Carnavalet, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Van Gogh Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Frick Art Reference Library.

Estimated Date

1941, World War II period

Provenance & Notes

Framed by Plein Cadre – Olivier Groult, Honfleur, Normandy (gallery stamp on reverse). Previously catalogued by Chiswick Auctions in 2021. From a private collection.