The sheer precision with which Bouguereau created the original oil painting Rest in Harvest in 1865 is balanced by the tender way in which the artist looks upon and so reflects this peaceful scene. Rest in Harvest is a high quality hand painted reproduction of the original which has been carefully and meticulously executed to preserve Bouguereau’s finest qualities as a talented academic artist – And it was his unusual talent which ensured Bouguereau’s artist career proceeded onwards and upwards - Up until the nineteen-twenties when the arrival of Impressionism negated his academic approach to painting and licked finish.

By 1865, when the original painting was finished Bouguereau was famous throughout France and England – Later in life his fame would stretch out to the Americas where his work was eagerly sought by those millionaires who could afford the high prices they commanded. Bouguereau was a traditionalist through and through. The scene here is ‘perfect’, idyllic and the young girl beautifully highlights some of Bouguereau’s most renowned assets: The detailed and accurate way in which this artist was able to paint skin, feet and hands. Unquestionably, this is an accomplished and sensitive oil painting that personifies academic perfection is the traditional sense of the word.