Cobbler's Quarters1860s · Study 1980.257

Context from the museum

This modest room is both the professional and personal domain of its inhabitant. Although the cobbler himself is not represented, he is nevertheless portrayed through all the details of his daily life. On the floor two pairs of boots wait to be repaired, surrounded by craftsman's tools. The pot-bellied stove in the middle of the room provides both heat and a place for cooking meals to be eaten at the folding table in the background at the left. The curtain behind the table probably hides an alcove with the cobbler's bed. A small statuette of Napoleon on the shelf at the upper right suggests the cobbler's political views. Next to it hangs a cage containing a green parakeet. Today the bird would undoubtedly be replaced by a radio, a necessary fixture to keep manual laborers company as they work. Little is known of Duplessy, who studied and worked in Paris, except that he concentrated on still-life painting. His interest in this subject can be seen in the careful rendering of object groupings in this scene. No records of the artist's life exist after 1872, the last year his work was shown at the annual Salon exhibition.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Cobbler's Quarters is 51.2 cm wide and 60.5 cm high, equivalent to approximately 20.2 × 23.8 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.85:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.31 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 17.1% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 124.4 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Cobbler's Quarters in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on fabric, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 51.2 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?