By Rmn-Grand Palais
RMN-Grand Palais
Peasant Family in an Interior (17th Century) by Louis Le Nain (1600/1610-1648), musée du LouvreOriginal Source: Paris, musée du Louvre
The peasants watching us look serious. This unexpected depth in the context of an ordinary meal makes the painting something more than a simple representation of everyday life.
The children's expressions are gently melancholic.
Peasant Family in an Interior (17th Century) by Louis Le Nain (1600/1610-1648), musée du LouvreOriginal Source: Paris, musée du Louvre
The lined faces of the older characters show how arduous their laborious working lives have been and their patched clothing is a mark of their poverty.
The transparent glass revealing the color of the wine it contains is a premium-quality piece out of place in a peasant home. This disturbing detail is a clue to the symbolic of the painting that goes beyond peasant reality.
Peasant Family in an Interior (17th Century) by Louis Le Nain (1600/1610-1648), musée du LouvreOriginal Source: Paris, musée du Louvre
The bread and wine being shared were the mainstays of the peasant diet at the time and are Christian symbols.
We would like to thank:
- For design, illustrations, writing, and coordination of the RMN-Grand Palais project: Cécile Maisonneuve (Doctor of Art History, Policy Officer, Scientific Council), Nathalie Gathelier (National Museums Speaker), Annie Madec (Iconographer), Françoise Lombardi-Peissel (Project Manager) at RMN-Grand Palais.
- For reproductions: French museum collections represented by the Photo Agency of the Réunion des musées nationaux-Grand Palais:
Montpellier, Musée Fabre; Versailles, Musée Lambinet; Lille, Palais des Beaux-Arts; Paris, The Louvre; Paris, Centre Pompidou (Musée National d'Art Moderne - Centre de Création Industrielle).
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