Antique French Oil Painting, After Ingres's La Source

Ingres finished La Source in 1856, and painters have been copying it ever since. This is one of those copies: an antique French oil on canvas, painted after the original.

The pose is all there: the raised arm, the terracotta jug, and the thin stream of water falling into a still pool. The rest is the painter's own. The rock is a soft slate grey, there are a few greens and wildflowers, and the figure is rendered with a frankness Ingres might not have signed off on. That's what we like about it. It's a famous composition, handled by someone who clearly loved it and wasn't trying to fool anyone.

It comes unframed, on a wooden stretcher with a center crossbar. The surface shows the expected signs of age for an antique canvas, all of which we consider part of its character. Hang it as it is for a relaxed, studio feel, or frame it and send it to the dining room.

Details

• Origin: France
• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Subject: After Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, La Source
• Dimensions: 18" × 14"
• Framing: Unframed, on wooden stretcher
• Condition: Antique, with age-appropriate wear consistent with its history