French Naïve Oil Painting Town Square with Bandstand, Signed Polard
French Naïve Oil Painting Town Square with Bandstand, Signed Polard
Couldn't load pickup availability
A French naïve oil on cardboard, signed Polard in the lower right, depicting a quiet town square with a Belle Époque iron bandstand set against a single-towered Gothic church. A lone gentleman in a dark coat and bowler hat stands on the gravel path, painted in the pared-down silhouette style associated with French naïve cityscape painters of the 1930s and 40s. The work is executed on the reverse of an original Devambez of Paris advertising panel for SAT Margarine Végétale, c. 1920s to 1940s, which remains intact and visible on the verso. The painter is unrecorded, but the substrate, the handling, and the deliberate flatness of perspective place this firmly within the French Art Naïf tradition of Bombois, Vivin, and Bauchant. The Paris dealer who sold me this piece described the location as a Parisian square that no longer exists; I have not been able to verify the specific location, and I am presenting it honestly as a French town square scene.
The painting is in honest age-appropriate condition for a naïve work on a recycled commercial substrate. The paint surface is stable with light surface dirt and minor abrasion, particularly in the sky. A diagonal crease runs through the green grass in the lower portion of the composition, visible but not disfiguring. The yellow priming border shows wear, scuffing, and small paint losses along all four edges, most notably along the top and right sides. The cardboard corners show minor crushing at the upper right and lower left. Two small holes near the top edge are original to the advertising panel and predate the painting, consistent with the panel having been hung in a shop before being repurposed by the painter. The verso, which retains the original Devambez SAT margarine poster, shows significant losses to the printed surface, including paper losses near the top edge, water staining and discoloration, abrasions, and torn or missing chips at the lower left corner. This verso wear is genuine to the panel's original commercial life. The piece has not been cleaned, restored, lined, or relined. It comes as it was found, with all the patina of a working painter's piece on a recycled support.
Shipping & Returns
All antique and vintage items are shipped from our warehouse in Bluffdale, Utah. Each piece is carefully packed by hand using archival materials and custom crating when necessary.
Shipping costs are calculated at checkout based on the size and weight of the item. Local pickup is available at the AMD Warehouse.
All sales of antique and vintage items are final due to their unique, one-of-a-kind nature. Illuminé candles and The Collector's Guide may be returned within 14 days of delivery if unopened and in original condition.
If your piece arrives damaged, please photograph the damage immediately (including packaging), contact us within 48 hours at austynmariedesign@gmail.com, and do not discard any packaging.
Important Info About Antique & Vintage
Every antique and vintage item we carry has lived a life before arriving in your home. These are not factory-made products. They are objects with history, character, and the marks of time.
Age-appropriate wear, patina, minor imperfections, and signs of previous use or repair are inherent to antique and vintage items and are not considered defects. These characteristics are part of what makes each piece unique and are often what give it its beauty and value.
We describe the condition of each piece as accurately as possible in the listing. If you have specific questions about a piece before purchasing, please reach out. We are always happy to provide additional photos or details.
Colors may appear slightly different on screen due to monitor settings and photography lighting. We do our best to represent each item accurately.
