Antique c1900 Signed American School Oil Painting Monk & Seminarian Genre Scene

Antique oil on canvas, signed Duriet and dated 1900. A classic anticlerical genre scene: a stern friar with a discipline catches a young seminarian sneaking a pipe, amid toppled wine bottles, a brass brazier, and a lantern. American School, turn of the century — on its original American canvas and keyed stretcher — the European clergy subject reflects the immigrant, old-world taste popular with American collectors of the period. Competent academic hand with a busy, legible narrative. Oil on canvas, 14 x 18 inches, in a period giltwood frame. Surface shows craquelure, scattered abrasion, and grime consistent with age. Sold as found — condition as pictured. A strong, story-rich decorative example.