Description
Pierre Olivier Joseph Coomans (1816-1889) Dextro Pede September 1873 Oil on paper Titled and dated 12.5 x 9.5 cm (on view) Dextro pede is a reference to both the French slang of the second half of the 19th century and to an ancient usage. Indeed, according to Delvau's dictionary of slang published in 1867, Dextro Pede, translating as to start with the right foot, means to begin a business, to engage it cheerfully and resolutely. We can also see a reference to Petronius' Satyricon, in the scene of the Feast at Trimalcion's (chapters XXVII-LXXVIII) when Encolpe and Ascylte are about to enter the banquet hall, one of the slaves says to them: "Dextro pede! Dextro pede!" . Provenance: Family of the artist. The eldest son of the painter and Zoé van Male de Brachène (1807-1848), the poet Oscar Coomans de Brachène (1848-1884), married to Marie Louise Clément de Cléty (1881-1965) and then by descent.
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Pierre Olivier Joseph Coomans (1816-1889) Dextro Pede September 1873 Oil on paper Titled and dated 12.5 x 9.5 cm (on view) Dextro pede is a reference to both the French slang of the second half of the 19th century and to an ancient usage. Indeed, according to Delvau's dictionary of slang published in 1867, Dextro Pede, translating as to start with the right foot, means to begin a business, to engage it cheerfully and resolutely. We can also see a reference to Petronius' Satyricon, in the scene of the Feast at Trimalcion's (chapters XXVII-LXXVIII) when Encolpe and Ascylte are about to enter the banquet hall, one of the slaves says to them: "Dextro pede! Dextro pede!" . Provenance: Family of the artist. The eldest son of the painter and Zoé van Male de Brachène (1807-1848), the poet Oscar Coomans de Brachène (1848-1884), married to Marie Louise Clément de Cléty (1881-1965) and then by descent.
