1883 Pansies and Books and Birthday Wishes Trompe l’Oeil Oil on Board special basket His head measures 2" across

His head measures 2" across

I have a feeling the rudder beside him was the maker's proudest accomplishment

There are 21 additional pegs

and charcoal

and it is 8 3/8" between that ledge and the bottom of the crossbar above

1883 Pansies and Books and Birthday Wishes Trompe l’Oeil Oil on Board special basket His head measures 2" acrossIve been drawn like a magnet lately to paintings with solid black grounds so satisfyingly graphic, and amplifying the sense of significance and symbolic weight to the subjects portrayed. And I love any sort of troupe loeil, especially with books in it! This one appears to have been painted as a present, marking the occasion of the recipients birthday on an April 8. 1883. Curiously, the painted text on that page of the book seems first to have read