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    A sprig of flowering rosemary lying against an ivory-white background and the twelve insects that surround it fills this horizontal painting. Stretching nearly the length of the composition with the cut end to our left, the rosemary has blunted, needle-like, gently curling teal-green leaves and small periwinkle-blue flowers along the ash-brown stem. Several insects perch on the sprig while others are seen as if looking from overhead, resting on the white background. The three largest insects perch along the top of the sprig, with an ivory-white butterfly with moss-green and black markings to the left, a black and golden, fuzzy bumblebee near the center, and a lemon-yellow butterfly with red antennae to our right. A tiny red insect, perhaps a ladybug without spots, sits on a leaf between the bee and yellow butterfly, and a small wasp-like insect rests on a leaf in at the lower left. Another mosquito-like insect alights on the surface nearby, next to a beetle with a honey-orange body with black, almost tiger-like stripes. A large cockroach sitting near the lower right corner has six spindly legs, a mahogany-colored abdomen, a black thorax, and tiny, black head. Spaced somewhat evenly across the top of the panel are a brick-red, winged insect to the left, a mint-green, beetle-like bug near a moth patterned with bone white and black, and a black, fly-like insect to our right. Lit from the upper left, the rosemary and insects cast shadows on the surface. The artist signed and dated the work with gray in the lower left corner: “J v. kessel . . f. Ao 1653.”

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    Closed today 
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    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Only have an hour to spend?

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  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events
    A sprig of flowering rosemary lying against an ivory-white background and the twelve insects that surround it fills this horizontal painting. Stretching nearly the length of the composition with the cut end to our left, the rosemary has blunted, needle-like, gently curling teal-green leaves and small periwinkle-blue flowers along the ash-brown stem. Several insects perch on the sprig while others are seen as if looking from overhead, resting on the white background. The three largest insects perch along the top of the sprig, with an ivory-white butterfly with moss-green and black markings to the left, a black and golden, fuzzy bumblebee near the center, and a lemon-yellow butterfly with red antennae to our right. A tiny red insect, perhaps a ladybug without spots, sits on a leaf between the bee and yellow butterfly, and a small wasp-like insect rests on a leaf in at the lower left. Another mosquito-like insect alights on the surface nearby, next to a beetle with a honey-orange body with black, almost tiger-like stripes. A large cockroach sitting near the lower right corner has six spindly legs, a mahogany-colored abdomen, a black thorax, and tiny, black head. Spaced somewhat evenly across the top of the panel are a brick-red, winged insect to the left, a mint-green, beetle-like bug near a moth patterned with bone white and black, and a black, fly-like insect to our right. Lit from the upper left, the rosemary and insects cast shadows on the surface. The artist signed and dated the work with gray in the lower left corner: “J v. kessel . . f. Ao 1653.”

    Featured exhibition:

    Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World

    Now on view

  • Art & Artists

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    • Artists
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    A refreshed experience for our puzzle game

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    Closed today 
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    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Only have an hour to spend?

    We've got you covered.

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events
    A sprig of flowering rosemary lying against an ivory-white background and the twelve insects that surround it fills this horizontal painting. Stretching nearly the length of the composition with the cut end to our left, the rosemary has blunted, needle-like, gently curling teal-green leaves and small periwinkle-blue flowers along the ash-brown stem. Several insects perch on the sprig while others are seen as if looking from overhead, resting on the white background. The three largest insects perch along the top of the sprig, with an ivory-white butterfly with moss-green and black markings to the left, a black and golden, fuzzy bumblebee near the center, and a lemon-yellow butterfly with red antennae to our right. A tiny red insect, perhaps a ladybug without spots, sits on a leaf between the bee and yellow butterfly, and a small wasp-like insect rests on a leaf in at the lower left. Another mosquito-like insect alights on the surface nearby, next to a beetle with a honey-orange body with black, almost tiger-like stripes. A large cockroach sitting near the lower right corner has six spindly legs, a mahogany-colored abdomen, a black thorax, and tiny, black head. Spaced somewhat evenly across the top of the panel are a brick-red, winged insect to the left, a mint-green, beetle-like bug near a moth patterned with bone white and black, and a black, fly-like insect to our right. Lit from the upper left, the rosemary and insects cast shadows on the surface. The artist signed and dated the work with gray in the lower left corner: “J v. kessel . . f. Ao 1653.”

    Featured exhibition:

    Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World

    Now on view

  • Art & Artists

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    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Games and Interactives
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    Artle

    A refreshed experience for our puzzle game

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    3. Comtesse Louis de Montesquiou-Fezensac
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    Comtesse Louis de Montesquiou-Fezensac

    French, active early 20th century

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    Shown from the knees up, a woman sitting next to an eagle has pale skin and rosy cheeks, and she faces and looks at us in this vertical portrait painting. The woman takes up most of the height of the composition and her right arm, on our left, rests on what looks like a puffy, sand-colored cloud. Her long, light blond hair is pulled back but one long tendril rests over her right shoulder, on our left. White and pale pink roses are tucked into a string of white pearls pinned into her hair across top of her head. The woman gazes at us with hazel eyes under light gray brows, and her long nose and closed, pale pink lips are set in a heart-shaped face. The low neckline of her ivory-white chemise wraps across her shoulders, and a small bouquet with a peach-colored rose and delicate white flowers is tucked into a bow at the front. The chemise has voluminous, elbow-length sleeves and is belted with a single strand of white pearls. Robin's egg-blue fabric is fastened with a gold pin on her right arm, to our left, and it falls in folds across her lap. Light reflecting off the fabric creates a sheen, suggesting it is silk or satin. Her right arm is bent to hold a pitcher over a small bowl in her other hand. The pitcher and bowl are both iridescent silver edged with gold. The body of the pitcher is decorated with people wearing robes, perhaps dancing. The eagle nestles near her left elbow, to our right. We see the upper half of its brown body and curved wing. Its narrow head and parted, hooked beak face our left in profile. The sky behind the woman transitions from a warm, golden yellow behind her to celestial blue along the top edge of the painting. Wispy bands of clouds rise to meet a larger smoke-gray cloud at the top that spreads out to frame her head. The painting is created with blended strokes, giving it a soft appearance, especially in the woman’s face and hands. The artist signed and dated the painting in the lower left corner, “Nattier pinxit. 1753.”
    Jean-Marc Nattier, Madame Le Fèvre de Caumartin as Hebe, 1753, oil on canvas, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1946.7.13

    Madame Le Fèvre de Caumartin as Hebe

    Madame Le Fèvre de Caumartin as Hebe

    Jean-Marc Nattier · 1753 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1946.7.13

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