Provenance

Cottier & Co.

American

Explore selected works

From a low perspective, we look at a man wearing black and white, lying on the ground with a pink flag beside him in this long, horizontal painting. We look onto the top of his head and his feet reach into the upper left corner of the composition, so he nearly fills the painting. His dark hair is cut short and gleams softly in the light from the upper left. His head has fallen toward his left shoulder, and his eyes are closed. He wears a black jacket and knee-length black pants. His jacket falls open to show white lining, and he wears a wide, white cummerbund and white stockings. His black, loafer-style shoes have pointed toes and possibly a bow at the bridge of each foot. He man’s right hand, farther from us, rests on his chest, and a black-handled sword or dagger is tucked into that elbow. That hand and his white tie are speckled with red blood. More blood seeps on the peanut-brown floor near the man’s left shoulder, closest to us. The man wears a gold ring on the pinky ring of his left hand, which lies along the ground and rests on or near the pale pink flag, which continues off the bottom left corner of the painting. The brown ground is lighter along the bottom of the painting and deepens to peat brown farther back, along the top edge. Brushstrokes are visible in some areas, especially in the white parts of the costume and the flag. The artist signed the painting in the lower right, “Manet.”
Edouard Manet, The Dead Toreador, probably 1864, oil on canvas, Widener Collection, 1942.9.40

The Dead Toreador

Edouard Manet · probably 1864 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1942.9.40

Six jockeys wearing colorful silks sit astride brown and black horses on a grassy field in this horizontal painting. Two more riders wearing top hats sit a bit farther back from the group, and two horses run on a grass track behind that. Five of the jockeys are together in the lower left quadrant. From left to right, they wear a black jersey with white sleeves, pink with black sleeves, black with sky-blue sleeves, emerald green, and canary yellow. The sixth jockey approaches from the right and wears white. The horizon comes about a third of the way up the composition, and the lawn is painted with blended strokes of spruce green and tawny brown. Three smokestacks belching smoke line the horizon, and three towers, two with spires, presumably represent a church in the deep distance to the left. Strokes of ochre yellow, beige, cream white, and brown represent houses clustered along the horizon. Lilac-purple-tinged clouds sweep across the watery blue sky above. The landscape is loosely painted with visible or blended strokes. The artist signed the lower right corner, “Degas.”
Edgar Degas, The Races, 1871-1872, oil on wood, Widener Collection, 1942.9.18

The Races

Edgar Degas · 1871-1872 · oil on wood ·  Accession ID  1942.9.18

A woman wearing a crimson-red brocade dress and gold jewelry fills most of this vertical portrait, but her right hand, on our left, rests on the shoulder of a young boy tucked into the lower left corner of the panel. The woman and boy both have pale, white skin, and both face and look out at us against an emerald-green curtain that falls behind them. The woman has brown eyes, a straight nose, full pink lips, smooth cheeks, and a long neck. Her brown hair is pulled back under a turban densely embroidered with gold. The woman’s dress has puffed shoulders and decorative slashes on the sleeves. One gold chain rests on her throat and the other falls over her chest. She wears long gold earrings, a gold belt, and two gold rings. She holds a brown leather glove in her left hand. The boy’s face is even with the woman’s waist, and he raises his left hand to hold hers, which is draped over his shoulder. He has curly blond hair and dark eyes, and he wears black with a ruffled white shirt just visible at his collar.
Agnolo Bronzino, A Young Woman and Her Little Boy, c. 1540, oil on panel, Widener Collection, 1942.9.6

A Young Woman and Her Little Boy

Agnolo Bronzino · c. 1540 · oil on panel ·  Accession ID  1942.9.6

This painting shows a landscape dominated by muted brown and yellow tones. In the center is a white horse standing on a faint path that leads towards the bottom left corner. The horse is attached to a cart with a large wheel, and it appears to carry a pile of yellow-brown material. A person stands to the right of the horse with their back to us, looking down at its harness. The person appears to be wearing a jacket and hat. They are painted entirely in shades of dark brown and black. On the left is a landscape painted in a flat brown color, and on the right are tall dark brown trees. The sky is painted in a pale tan color.
Albert Pinkham Ryder, Mending the Harness, mid to late 1870s, oil on canvas, Gift of Sam A. Lewisohn, 1951.5.3

Mending the Harness

Albert Pinkham Ryder · mid to late 1870s · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1951.5.3

A blue and white porcelain bowl, fruit, wine glasses, and a woven rug are gathered on a tabletop in front of a black background in this vertical still life painting. Light strongly illuminates the objects, creating a stark contrast to the dark background. At the center of the composition, the porcelain bowl is tipped so its wide brim rests on the rug bunched on the tabletop to our left. The rug is painted with a pattern in earthy beige and chocolate brown, denim blue, bronze, and cream white. A piece of roughly textured orange fruit resembling a tiny pumpkin has a stem with a small white blossom growing from its top. The fruit sits in the bowl alongside a vivid yellow lemon that has been partially peeled. The top has been cut from the lemon to form a long strip that curls onto the table, and the pulp glistens in the light. Two peaches sitting in front of the bowl are painted with tones of silvery ivory and burnt orange. The handle of a utensil juts out from between the peaches and lemon peel. Two glasses and a slender carafe are arranged in a row behind the fruit and bowl. The glass to the left has a round bowl over a thick, columnar stem, and the tall, gently flaring glass carafe behind the orange fruit are both half-filled with pale gold liquid. A drinking glass with a wide, shallow, scalloped-edged cup is mostly hidden behind the porcelain bowl, to our right.
Willem Kalf, Still Life, c. 1660, oil on canvas, Chester Dale Collection, 1943.7.8

Still Life

Willem Kalf · c. 1660 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1943.7.8

The painting shows a scene from a slightly elevated angle. At the bottom are three people; two women are tending to a man who appears to have long spears or arrows in him. The three people have yellow-toned skin, and the man is mostly nude except for a red cloth draped around his waist. The women wear blue and white cloths draped around their heads and shoulders over dark dresses. One of them holds a silver bowl, and the other pulls an arrow out of the man, who sits on a white cloth. They are at the edge of a dense forest. Trees tower above them on both sides. Beyond the trees is a distant hill, and distant people on horseback are walking along the ridge, facing away from us. The sky above is pale blue. At the top of the painting, surrounded by green leaves, are two flying cherubs gilded with yellow light. They point down to the three figures below. The brushwork in the painting is loose and expressive.
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Saint Sebastian Succored by the Holy Women, 1874, oil on canvas, Timken Collection, 1960.6.4

Saint Sebastian Succored by the Holy Women

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot · 1874 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1960.6.4

This is a painting of an auction scene featuring an auctioneer and an audience. The painting shows a group of people watching an auctioneer gesturing towards a framed artwork displayed on an easel. The individuals in the audience are wearing formal attire with top hats. The background consists of an indistinct crowd, emphasizing the interest and anticipation surrounding the auction event. The painting conveys expressions and body language that suggest various states of engagement with the scene. This is in the style of Honoré Daumier.
Honoré Daumier, At the Gallery Drouot, after 1863-before 1873, oil on wood, Corcoran Collection (William A. Clark Collection, 1926), 2015.19.26

At the Gallery Drouot

Honoré Daumier · after 1863-before 1873 · oil on wood ·  Accession ID  2015.19.26

Bibliography

1996

  • Dekkers, Dieuwertje. " 'Where are the Dutchmen?' Promoting The Hague School in America 1875-1900." Simiolus 24, no. 1 (1996): 62-64.