Antique painting, "Discussion by the Fire", 19" x 14½"

This oil on board painting dates from the late-seventeenth to early-eighteenth century.

In a palette of earthy browns, reds, and yellows the painting is composed of two men wearing berets next to an open fire, one sitting and the other standing with his back to the viewer. Both men gaze out of the painting, their attention held by the same unknown subject, but one that appears to be making them both smile in a partly suppressed manner. The seated man holds onto what might be a wine or beer flask and rests on what was once a wine barrel. The man standing with hands clasped behind his back turns his head to the side secretively while his right foot lifts off the ground as if he is about to slip into the shadows. Perhaps the viewer has caught the pair scheming!

This intriguing French and deftly painted scene has a dark wooden frame and would look fabulous in a living room, perhaps opposite a fireplace, or in a study.