William ELLIOT after Jean Baptiste Pillement

Le Retour de la Peche

28 x 23 inches

This delightful scene depicts the return of a fishing expedition but is most remarkable for its depiction of the trees that surround the gully. Pillement (and Elliot's interpretation of his work) is masterful in his treatment of the forest glade that shades the returning fishermen and revels in the majesty of this arboreal setting. Pillement (1728-1808) was a famous French landscape painter and designer whose fame derived largely from the engravings taken after his work. He was based in Paris but obtained imperial patronage throughout Europe including Marie Antoinette for whom he worked at le Petit Trianon in the 1780s before the fateful Revolution of 1789. Pierre Canot (1710-1777) was a French line engraver and etcher of topographical and sporting subjects after his contemporaries. He was born in Paris but moved to England in 1740 where he worked in London until his death in 1777. His talent as an engraver was much admired and he was elected to the Royal Academy in 1770.