Description
| Title: | View of the Fortifications to the Left of the Gate of Vanves |
| Other titles: | View of the Fortifications to the left of the Gate of Vanves (catalogue) |
| Painter: | Henri Rousseau |
| Year painted: | not confirmed with the museum |
| Original size: | 31 cm x 41 cm (height x width, as published) |
| Original technique: | oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | naive art (primitivism) |
| Held at: | Hermitage, Saint Petersburg, Russia (as published) |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted oil on canvas, ten sizes or a size made to order |
View of the Fortifications to the Left of the Gate of Vanves is a painting by Henri Rousseau, oil on canvas; according to published records it is held by the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg. What you see: the long pale wall of the Paris fortifications under a grassy rampart, a green slope with an upright ladder, small strollers and a row of poplars under a quiet grey sky. We paint it by hand in oils, in ten sizes or to measure, and send you a photograph of the finished painting before dispatch.
View of the Fortifications to the Left of the Gate of Vanves
What is on the canvas?
At the left runs a long, pale stone wall of the fortifications, with a grassy rampart and a row of trees above it. At the top of the green slope stands a tall wooden ladder, and to its right a dark post. Two small figures walk up the slope, one in red, and on the path below goes a man in a hat. At the right rises a row of tall poplars, and beneath them low red-roofed houses show behind a dark hedge. More than half the painting is a calm, even grey sky. The signature, Henri Rousseau, is at the lower left. Another scene from the edge of Paris by the same painter is Toll Gate.
What does the painting mean?
Paris was then ringed by a line of fortifications, with the city gates set into it; here Rousseau paints a quiet corner beside it, to the left of the Gate of Vanves, as the title says. Instead of military sternness we see a calm promenade: grass, trees and a few small figures under a grey sky. We could not read the museum’s own entry, so we give no year. Another view of the outskirts of Paris is Outskirts of Paris.
Which size suits which room?
The published size of the original is 31 cm high and 41 cm wide, a small painting; 116 x 89 cm comes closest to its proportion. Ten sizes are available: 70 x 52, 75 x 58, 80 x 63, 90 x 71, 95 x 75, 104 x 81, 110 x 85, 116 x 89, 130 x 94 and 135 x 105 cm. The calm greys and greens suit a bedroom, a study or a hallway, where 75 x 58 or 80 x 63 cm is enough; above a sofa we recommend 104 x 81 cm or larger. Above a sofa the painting usually takes about two thirds of the width of the furniture; above a bed it should stay narrower than the headboard. Custom sizes are ordered through the made-to-order painting page, where you enter the width and height; we suggest keeping the proportion of the original and changing only the scale. A Paris park by the same painter is View of Montsouris Park, the Kiosk.
How is the painting made, and does it come framed?
Your canvas is begun only after you order it, and is painted by hand in oils in our workshop in Slovenia, at the size you choose. The painter lays in the grey sky first, then the poplars and the trees on the rampart, then the wall, the slope and the path, and last the ladder, the post, the houses and the small figures. We do not print, and no machine application is used, so no two versions are exactly alike. The canvas is stretched on a wooden frame and arrives ready to hang; a picture frame is not included in the price and is chosen separately. Before packing we photograph the finished painting and send you the photograph for approval; only then does it travel. A landscape from the surroundings of Paris by the same painter is Environs de Paris. The whole collection is in the Henri Rousseau gallery.
How is it delivered, and what do we guarantee?
We deliver to Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Austria, Hungary and Germany. Depending on its size, the canvas travels rolled in a rigid tube or stretched on its frame, always in protective wrapping and as a tracked parcel. The making time depends on the size and is confirmed when you order. We guarantee that every painting is painted by hand and that you see a photograph of the finished work before dispatch; if anything in it is not as you wish, we correct it before it leaves the workshop.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the original kept?
According to published records, at the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg; we could not read the museum’s own entry, so we do not link to it.
When was it painted?
We could not check the year with the museum, so we give none.
Is a frame included?
No. The canvas is stretched on a wooden frame and ready to hang without a picture frame; a frame can be chosen separately.
Is this a print?
No. It is painted by hand in oils, and the layers of paint can be seen and felt.
Is the painting suitable as a gift?
Yes, especially for someone who loves old Paris and quiet, calm landscapes. If you would rather the recipient chose, there is a gift voucher.
- Subject: the long pale wall of the Paris fortifications under a rampart, a green slope with a ladder, poplars and small strollers under a grey sky.
- Original: oil on canvas, 31 x 41 cm (as published), Hermitage, Saint Petersburg; year not confirmed.
- Our version: hand-painted oil, ten sizes from 70 x 52 to 135 x 105 cm or to measure, unframed, photograph before dispatch.
- Of note: at the top of the slope stands a tall ladder, the most unexpected thing in the painting.
