Jean-Louis Forain, French 1852-1931- In Court; oil on canvas, signed 'Forain' (upper right), 60.2 x 73.5 cm. Provenance: with Ch. Pottier, Emballeur, 14 Rue Gaillon, Paris. Literature: Charles Kunstler, 'Forain', Paris, 1931, (illustrated pl.48). Note: Forain began to paint law-court scenes by 1902 and one of them, perhaps the first, was reproduced in the special ‘Forain’ issue of Le Figaro, illustrated in February that year. Indeed, the subject clearly found favour with the artist, and such examples are today held in the Tate Collections [N03288 and N04789] and in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York [66.217]. The present work, presumably conceived in around 1905, reveals Forain’s participation in the Impressionist movement, particularly recalling both the handling of works by Edgar Degas (1834-1917), as well as the realist compositions of Honore Daumier (1808-1879). Here, the loose brushwork in particular imbues the scene with a striking sense of immediacy, while the poignancy of the tribunal scene is heightened by the figures’ hunched postures and the muted tones. For a similar work by the artist, see Anon. sale, Sotheby’s, New York, 17 November 2021, lot 327 ($31,500). The present work will be included in the Jean-Louis Forain catalogue raisonné currently being prepared by Madame Valdès-Forain. 品相报告: Please refer to department for condition report