European school of the 18th century.

European school of the 18th century.
"Peeling the kettle".
Oil on panel.
Measurements: 24,5 x 19,5 cm; 39 x 34 cm (frame).

This eighteenth-century oil painting of reduced format combines with grace the domestic scene and the genre of manners, so appreciated in the painting of the time.

In an open interior, illuminated by an afternoon light that penetrates from the background, a seated peasant woman is depicted, wearing a white cap and simple attire, ready to gut a bird that she holds on her lap. Next to her, a kitchen table displays some vegetables, accentuating the everyday character of the scene.

Behind her, a man leans with a familiar gesture, placing a hand on her shoulder; the woman turns her face towards him, surprised or flattered, in a moment of flirtatious complicity. This exchange gives meaning to the traditional title of the work ("Pelando la pava", a popular expression that alludes to courtship between lovers), suggesting that domestic action is also a pretext for intimacy.

The interior space opens to an exterior, where a landscape with arches and distant trees can be distinguished. In the foreground, on the tiled floor, a little dog rests next to the woman, while a fox hidden behind a basket watches attentively, adding a note of humor and life to the scene.

The work combines meticulous realism and narrative charm, with warm color and balanced composition, characteristic of 18th century genre painting.