This fine pair of interior genre paintings is by the Austrian artist Hans Zatzka, who used the pseudonym ‘J. Bernard’ to sign many of his works. Each painting depicts an elegantly dressed lady within a lavish interior. Each lady plays with an animal: one with a kitten, the other with a dog and a bright pink parrot. The vibrantly coloured interiors demonstrate the skill of Zatzka: he has used different materials, such as the polished tile flooring, the parrot’s plumage, or the bear skin carpet, to demonstrate his ability to render real life onto panel.
Each work is oil on panel, and each is contained within a velvet inset pierced giltwood frame. Each painting is signed ‘J. Bernard’ lower left, and features a rubbed gallery label to the reverse, and the frame of each is stamped ‘Made in Sweden’.