Figure Studies
Mother and Child
Hugues Merle
A touching 19th-century portrait capturing a quiet moment of maternal affection and childhood innocence.
The First Thorns of Knowledge
Hugues Merle
1864 · Oil Paint, Canvas
A tender 19th-century academic scene depicting the early struggles of learning through a mother and child.
$243
For the selected configuration
From $129
6 frame sizes
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Where it works
A quiet, grounding work with softened warm notes — adds structure to a more polished room.
- Often works in
- Study · Living Room · Bedroom
- Placement
- Strong for entryways, narrow walls, and vertical placements
- Walls
- Benefits from light or mid-tone surroundings
- Color notes
- Charcoal black, Rich brown
About the piece
Painted in 1864 by Hugues Merle, this Academic work captures a quiet moment of instruction. A young woman patiently holds an alphabet book for a child who appears frustrated by the 'thorns' of early education, rendered with the luminous skin tones and soft, textured fabrics characteristic of the period.
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