R BETOURNE LIMOGES ENAMEL ON COPPER A YOUNG MAN DRINKING MURILLO 6 1/4 X 9inch

R BETOURNE LIMOGES ENAMEL ON COPPER A YOUNG MAN DRINKING AFTER MURILLO. 6 1/4 X 9inch ENAMEL. THE FRAME IS 14 INCH BY 11 INCH. SIGNED IN THE ENAMEL LOWER LEFT CORNER> R BETOURNE LIMOGES DAPRES MURILLO.

PERFECT ENAMEL 3 DIMENSIONS RAISED SURFACE WITH BEAUTIFUL GLOSS TO THE ENAMEL AND VIVID EXPRESSION ENJOYING HIS GLASS OF WINE AND PERHAPS THE BOTTLE. THE WOOD FRAME HAS ON 3 CORNERS SOME OF THE GESSO FLAKED OFF DOWN TO THE WOOD.

A FINE EXCEPTIONAL LARGE ENAMEL PORTRAIT AFTER ONE OF THE FINEST ARTISTS. French enamel painting on copper signed by R Be'torune of the famous Betourne Studios in Limoges, France. BELOW A DESCRIPTION OF THE ORIGINAL BY MURILLO. A young man cradles a bottle, presumably full of wine, and drinks from a smooth-sided glass. Vine leaves, a symbol traditionally associated with Bacchus, the mischievous god of wine, garland his head. He looks at us with a conspiratorial gaze, and though he might appear to be encouraging us to join him, the possessive way in which he guards the bottle suggests that he might well keep its contents all to himself. Genre paintings are rare in the work of Murillo, and the subject of this picture remains enigmatic.

The young man may be drinking wine, but he is doing so with dignity and care, holding the glass daintily by its base. He is perhaps a server at a tavern, but the reference to Bacchus better explains his mischievous expression. April 3, 1682 - Seville, Spain.