Henri Jean Guillaume Martin (French, 1860-1943) Un terrassier (A digger) oil on canvas signed Henri Martin (lower right) 24 ¼ x 18 ¾ inches. This lot will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne currently being prepared by Marie-Anne Destrebecq-Martin. Provenance: Kaplan Gallery, London Galleries Maurice Sternberg, Chicago Acquired directly from the above, June 1971 The present painting is associated with Martin's program of decoration for the general assembly room of the Conseil d'Etat, located within the Palais-Royal in Paris. In the 1920s, Martin was commissioned to paint murals for the Conseil d'Etat, a body of the French national government. Four canvases were executed and include allegories of €œAgriculture,€ represented by scenes of plowing, sowing, and harvesting; for €œCommerce,€ the port of Marseille; the construction of the Place de la Concorde for €œIndustry;€ and a man walking through a forest with a book in his hand for €œIntellectual Work.€ The group bears the title of La France laborieuse presenting itself to the Council of State. An almost identical figure to Un terrassier (A digger) can be seen in the "Industry" mural. Property from the Miriam B. Swanson Trust, Chicago, Illinois