Signed Still Life with Game Birds, Fruit, and Floral Urn Attributed to Max Albert Carlier

A richly layered oil on canvas still life attributed to Max Albert Carlier (1872–1938), a Belgian painter known for luminous floral and game compositions in the academic realist tradition. Signed M. Carlier in red at the lower right, this painting brings together many of the qualities collectors look for in Continental still life painting from this period: strong composition, controlled light, and a beautifully theatrical sense of atmosphere.

Set against deep teal drapery and patterned ground, the composition features suspended game birds, ripe grapes, peaches, plums, and a lush floral arrangement overflowing from a classical urn. The feathers are painted with softness and weight, the fruit has a gentle bloom and sheen, and the flowers are built with careful variation in color and texture. It has that moody old-world feeling that works so well in a study, dining room, library, or layered traditional interior.

This is a painting that rewards a close look. The artist balanced richness with restraint, allowing the darker passages to frame the brighter fruit, petals, and plumage rather than overwhelm them. It has presence, but it does not feel forced. Pieces like this were made to bring warmth, depth, and refinement to an interior, and that still holds true now.

This work is being sold as attributed to Max Albert Carlier based on the signature, subject matter, and stylistic similarities to other paintings associated with the artist. It is not accompanied by formal provenance or a certificate of authenticity, so the attribution should be understood as an informed art historical opinion rather than a definitive authorship claim. Works attributed to Carlier continue to appear at major auction houses including Christie's, Bonhams, and Dorotheum.