Large French seaside oil-painting by Robert Salles of Paris

Executed in oil-on-canvas and set within a giltwood frame, this remarkable artwork is a busy landscape painting of a village by the seaside in Northern France. Showing clear elements of fantasy, it is expertly crafted to convey romantic and dreamy ideas of life by the sea.

By the Parisian artist Robert Salles (1871-1929), it is also titled 'un après-midi au port,' (an afternoon by the harbour), and shows a bustling seaside village, full of children playing, figures travelling back and forth, and families visiting the coast. Children play in and around a café in the foreground, while a horse-drawn carriage sets off, heading away into the distance, where a steam-liner and aqeuduct are shown. As such, it probably constitutes an imaginary view, inspired by northern coastal towns, and juxtaposing various elements and characters to create a village of almost postcard levels of quaintness and charm.

Painted with great skill and character, and of exceptional size and quality, it is a delightful work, and is signed to the lower right 'Robert Salles / Paris.'

Frame: 116cm, width 215cm, depth 7cm
Canvas: 101cm, width 200cm, depth 3cm