Could be Jean-Baptiste Claudot De Nancy

It could be JEAN-BAPTISTA CLAUDOT DE NANCY (1733-1805), late 18th century.
"Landscape with figures".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 71 x 98.5 cm; 81 x 107 cm (frame).

This Landscape with figures, attributable with prudence to Jean-Baptiste Claudot de Nancy, is inscribed in the tradition of the French landscape of classic and pastoral root. The composition combines lush nature framing the scene with architectural remains, a common device in Claudot's work.

The peasant figures, arranged in the foreground, are integrated in a secondary and harmonious way in the landscape, providing scale and a subtle everyday story without displacing the prominence of the natural environment. This balance between figure and landscape responds to an Arcadian conception inherited from Claude Lorrain, very present in Claudot's production.

Also noteworthy is the amplitude of the open sky, treated with soft gradations of light, which envelops the scene in a serene and melancholic atmosphere, a prelude to a pre-romantic sensibility. The warm palette and the delicate treatment of light reinforce the contemplative character of the work, in keeping with the enlightened taste of the late 18th century and fully consistent with the pictorial language developed by Jean-Baptiste Claudot de Nancy.

Trained with Jean Girardet and André Joly, Jean-Baptiste Claudot furthered his studies in Paris in 1767. He was a pioneer in France in the realization of "portraits" of castles commissioned by their owners. Active in cities such as Nancy, Lunéville, Metz or Pont-à-Mousson, Claudot had among his pupils Jean-Baptiste Isabey and Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin. Today, many of his works are preserved in the Museum of Fine Arts in Nancy.