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90.2 x 130.8 cm Sotheby's, New York. A record price for Gilbert who was considered the pre-eminent painter of Parisian market scenes. He achieved a considerable success, while firmly establishing his reputation, at the 1880 Salon when he obtained a second class medal, critical acclaim and a State purchase for his painting entitled "A Corner of the Fish Market, Morning", now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lille. Gilbert's "Market Day" captures one of the vegetable markets that appeared across the city daily. Here, the artist has amply illustrated the different strata of Parisian society which has gathered to purchase and sell their produce. Gilbert's vibrant image is enhanced by his realistic sense of detail and close observation of nature. A master of still life and textures, he has paid meticulous attention to a myriad of detail. Whether focusing on a cabbage, pumpkins, baskets, clothes, buildings or trees, his work is a "tour de force" demonstration of the varying reflections of light on different surfaces. In 1878, the year in which the present work was painted, the artist exhibited two related subjects at the Paris Salon entitled "Marchande de vaisselle et d'ustensiles de ménage" and "La marchande de volailles, scène de marché à Paris". This painting carried a pre-sale estimate of $ 450,000 to 550,000. |
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