{"product_id":"his-eminences-monkey-by-francois-brunery","title":"His Eminence's Monkey  by François Brunery","description":"François Brunery\u003cbr\u003e 1849-1926 | Italian \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eHis Eminence's Monkey\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Signed \"F. Brunery\" (lower right)\u003cbr\u003e Oil on panel \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This highly detailed oil on panel by French artist François Brunery offers a rich and exuberant glimpse into the life of a clergyman. Entitled \u003cem\u003eHis Eminence's Monkey\u003c\/em\u003e, the painting captures a humorous scene of a cardinal's favored pet climbing a chandelier in the midst of a sumptuous dinner party. Executed with wonderful sense of realism, the work exhibits Brunery’s skill for capturing texture, color and detail in each and every brushstroke.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e François Brunery’s passion for depicting the clergy began by accident for the classically trained painter. Brunery began his studies in Paris, a student under Jean-Léon Gérôme, a pillar of the art establishment whose work has been described as meticulously realistic. To further his studies, Brunery and his wife traveled to Rome where his attentions focused on painting classical and mythological subjects. They soon returned to Paris, as his wife was displeased with her husband’s proximity to nude models in Rome. Upon their return, Brunery accepted a commission to paint a cardinal, which piqued his curiosity about the inner sanctum of the Catholic Church. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e After completing a series of ecclesiastical scenes and a number of portraits, Brunery’s works became more creative and comical. As his career evolved, he developed a partiality for what are know known as Cardinal paintings. The everyday trials and tribulations of the clergy were his subject matter, shedding light on the mysterious and somber shroud that veiled the religious elite from the outside world. Such paintings were remarkably popular among the French during the 19th century. Bruney, along with his contemporaries Georges Croegaert and Jehan Georges Vibert, was among the leading painters of this sought after genre. \u003cem\u003eHis Eminence's Monkey \u003c\/em\u003eis a charming, yet thought-provoking example of the output of this very talented and respected 19th-century artist. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Circa 1901 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Panel: 31\" high x 39 1\/2\" wide\u003cbr\u003e Frame: 38 1\/4\" high x 46 1\/4\" wide \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Exhibited:\u003cbr\u003e Paris Salon, 1901, as \u003cem\u003eLe Singe de Son Éminence\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Provenance:\u003cbr\u003e Private collection, Sarasota, Florida\u003cbr\u003e M.S. Rau, New Orleans, 2020","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40491858985095,"sku":"31-1781","price":68500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/2471\/0466\/products\/31-1781_1.png?v=1689410353","url":"https:\/\/rauantiques.com\/products\/his-eminences-monkey-by-francois-brunery","provider":"M.S. Rau","version":"1.0","type":"link"}