The crossing of the ford 

Oil on canvas

Monogrammed on the lower right corner

Dimensions: 48 x 59 cm

With frame 75 x 87 cm

The artist depicts the passage of beasts between the banks of the calm river bed. The water shimmers, the sky is reflected in it. The day rises, the light draws the foliage of the trees against the light. Some young women are resting, others are pushing the oxen and cows that have not yet crossed. 

Joséphine Sarrazin de Belmont is a landscape painter of great sensitivity. She is the favorite pupil of the master landscape designer Henri de Valenciennes, whose studio is open to women. She practices oil painting in the “open air” in small, easily transportable formats.

A great traveler, she discovered Germany and Italy. She brought back a large number of sketches and drawings from her first trips to Italy. She is one of the first artists to paint the forest of Fontainebleau, Brittany and the Pyrenees.

Her career was long, she exhibited at the Salons from 1812 to 1868. She received the support of important personalities such as the Empress Joséphine. The Duchess of Berry collects her travel paintings, she does twelve of her views of Italy. His Parisian studio in the Saint Germain district is frequented by the greatest artists of the time, including Jean-Baptiste Ingres and Jean Gros.

Joséphine Sarrazin de Belmont occupies a pivotal position between the tradition of classical landscape and the birth of the open-air landscape. It renounces the mythological or romantic anecdote in favor of landscapes animated by characters from everyday life taken in their occupation. The composition, soft golden light and attention to detail of this painting testify to its fidelity to the classical landscape. The artist sought out panoramic views that enlarge the space.