19th-Century French School, Barns With Chickens

An unusual 19th-century oil on wood depicting a small area behind a barn with two chickens, a barrel and a ladder. The buildings feel lost in time and we love the way the artist has given the walls texture by roughing them up a little.

The painting is signed ‘Ault’ in the lower left and could relate to American artist, Charles Henry Ault. Little is known about him but many painters undertook study trips to France during the 19th-century.

Housed in a decorative giltwood frame that’s probably the original.