Paul-André Robert was a natural historian and painter and member of a well known family of painters from Biel / Bienne, Switzerland. He is well known for his studies of plants and insects, especially butterflies. This beautiful original oil painting in a striking frame depicts a bouquet of Christmas roses and pine branches on a red carpet. The flowers in the painting are Helleborus niger, the black hellebore, an evergreen perennial flowering plant commonly known as the Christmas Rose because of an old legend that it sprouted in the snow from the tears of a young girl who had no gift to give to the Christ child. Traditionally it was believed that strewing the flowers on one's doorstep could ward off evil. Signed P.A. Robert Middle Left Dimensions in the Frame: 65 X 46 cm Oil/canvas (Dimensions of Canvas 24x41 cm)