ALEXANDRE MARIE GUILLEMIN (1817–1880) The Cooper Oil on canvas Titled and signed on the back of the stretcher: *The Cooper* by Guillemin In a wooden frame with gilded stucco moldings Height: 26 cm - Width: 20 cm A genre painter highly regarded during the Second Empire, Alexandre Marie Guillemin devoted his entire career to sensitively depicting humble scenes of everyday life. As a heir to the French realist tradition, he drew inspiration from rural and artisanal life, focusing on depictions of workers, rustic interiors, and moments of domestic contemplation. His work, regularly exhibited at the Salon, is distinguished by a careful observation of the gestures of the trade and by a pursuit of light effects inherited from 17th-century Dutch painting. The work presented here, titled *The Cooper*, fully exemplifies this style. In the dim light of his workshop, a craftsman is captured in the midst of his work. The light, focused on his face and hands, highlights the nobility of manual labor, while the deliberately blurred background contributes to the scene’s quiet, meditative atmosphere. The tight framing and brown tones reinforce the intimacy of the subject, a hallmark of the artist’s most successful compositions. Lot to be picked up at the studio at 8 rue Rossini, Paris 9th arrondissement, starting July 17, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.