The Maison du Pilier-Rouge - Incised and stained panel. signed P. Hervieu. C1940

Incised and stained wood panel depicting a half-timbered house, signed P. Hervieu in the lower right corner and probably created circa 1940.

The building most likely depicts the Maison du Pilier-Rouge, situated within the Cité Plantagenêt, the historic centre of Le Mans.

The design was first incised into the panel to define the various architectural elements. The engraved lines were then darkened, giving the composition a distinctly graphic quality while emphasising the beams, windows and successive volumes of the façade.

The deliberately exaggerated perspective and graphic simplification of the forms lend the building an almost monumental presence. This approach, midway between painting, engraving and illustration, belongs to a modernist decorative tradition still influenced by the graphic language of the interwar period.

The panel is presented in a wide period moulded and patinated wood frame, similar to that of the artist’s other known work.

The surface displays an overall patina, with a few small marks, scratches and occasional areas of wear. The frame also bears signs of age and some losses to its finish. The piece remains in good overall condition.

Dimensions without frame: 33 × 55 cm
Dimensions with frame: 47 × 69.5 cm