Remarkable Oil Painting of a Playful Monkey w/ a Pewter Platter c. 1900 - 37½" x 45¼"

A remarkable large oil on canvas from circa 1900, attributed to Adolphe-Louis Castex Degrange, this atmospheric painting shows a mischievous monkey gazing into a pewter plate beside a brimming urn of peonies and carnations. The touch is very fine, with rich, luminous color that moves from warm umbers to blush pinks, deep greens, and the cool sheen of metal. It retains its original gilt wood frame with a brass label bearing the artist’s name. Old restorations are noted on the reverse of the canvas, and the frame bears a loss to the lower right. Unsigned.

Castex Degrange (1840–1918) was a French painter known for refined still lifes, animal subjects, and genre scenes, his work reflecting solid academic training and a taste for narrative detail. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, he initially studied engraving before turning to floral design for textile production. He exhibited in Lyon and Paris from 1870 and worked in Paris as a decorative artist and ceramist before returning to Lyon in 1884 to teach floral textile design. His work is distinguished by a bold decorative style and rich, luminous colors well suited to the flourishing silk industry of the period.

This composition brings a cultured note to a dining room, where the pewter plate and opulent blooms echo table silver and crystal. The theme of vanitas and reflection also makes it a striking choice for a dressing room or powder room, where its quiet humor and soft light create a thoughtful counterpoint to mirrors and polished surfaces.

Condition and patina consistent with age.
Approx. overall 37½" high x 45¼" wide x 1½" thick
Approx. overall 95cm high x 115cm wide x 4cm thick