Provenance

Durand-Ruel et Cie

French, est. c. 1833

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See all 106 works of art
At least one rowboat occupied by two people floats on a lake, which is surrounded by lush green vegetation in this vertical landscape painting. The scene is loosely painted with short and long parallel brushstrokes, so some details are difficult to make out. The white of the four geese lining the bank near us break up a color palette almost entirely dominated by spring, mint, and sage green and royal and baby blue. Three of the geese stand in a line and the fourth bends down to peck at the grass. A bed of deep pink flowers is indicated with touches of vibrant color to our right of the geese. One person wearing a golden yellow garment and a butter-yellow hat rows the boat near the center of the lake. A smudge of cobalt blue could be another person in that boat. Other curved lines in the water could be additional boats or may be reflections in the lake’s surface. Barely discernable, a person, possibly holding a stick, stands among the tall trees lining the opposite bank. The horizon line comes about three-quarters of the way up the composition, and the sky above is painted with watery blue, pale yellow, and ivory-white brushstrokes. The artist signed the work with dark letters near the lower left corner: “B. Morisot.”
Berthe Morisot, Girl in a Boat with Geese, c. 1889, oil on canvas, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.50

Girl in a Boat with Geese

Berthe Morisot · c. 1889 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1970.17.50

Set in a valley carpeted in sage green, about a dozen armed men, on foot and horseback, close to us, line up and face off against an attack advancing from the back left in this vertical painting. The men, clothing, and horses closest to us are painted with dashes and swirling brushstrokes, which contrasts with the soft look of the approaching crowd and landscape beyond, which are painted indistinctly with loose and blended brushstrokes. All the men we can see have medium brown skin and are armed with rifles. The men close to us wear long tunics and boots in shades of teal blue, ivory white, crimson red, earth brown, and golden yellow. Most of them wear turbans and some have straight or curved daggers hanging from their waists. Closest to us in the bottom left, a chestnut-brown horse with a black mane collapses on its rider, who sprawls along the ground with arms overhead. The horse lifts its head and twists back toward us facing our left, so the white blazes down its nose are visible. Near the horse’s legs and along the left edge of the painting, a man wearing a mustard-yellow tunic kneels and leans his forehead against the barrel of his rifle, which he braces like a walking stick. His other hand rests on the hilt of his dagger at his waist. To our right of the fallen horse, six men line up along a low rise that angles to our right and into the distance, where it meets a grove of green trees. At the front of that group, near the lower center of the composition, a rider on a dark horse charges the approaching men. Those men emerge from a line of emerald-green trees and growth at the foot of a steep, rocky hill. These men are more loosely painted so details are difficult to make out, but several are backlit by white smoke, presumably from firing their rifles. The hill above is mottled with warm taupe, light gray, cinnamon-brown, and moss-green growth. Atop the hill and to our left, a walled building complex with thick, square towers faces a row of sheer cliffs that march in from the upper right to enclose the space. Their jagged faces are shadowed with cool tones of slate blue, pewter gray, and touches of rust red. An azure-blue sky, scattered with thin layers of steel-gray and white clouds, spans the top of the composition. Bright sunlight flows in from the upper right, illuminating the fallen horse and the men near it. Sunlight also warms the face of the terracotta building and the hill, as well as the peaks of the mountains on the right. The artist signed and dated the work in black in the lower center: “Eug. Delacroix 1863.”
Eugène Delacroix, Arabs Skirmishing in the Mountains, 1863, oil on canvas, Chester Dale Fund, 1966.12.1

Arabs Skirmishing in the Mountains

Eugène Delacroix · 1863 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1966.12.1

Shown from the knees up against a dark gray background, a young woman with peachy skin stands with her body angled to our left and she looks at us with brown eyes in this vertical portrait painting. She has dark, arched brows, a straight nose, and her full, coral-pink lips are closed. Her dark brown, curly hair is covered by a mantilla, an ivory-white, lacy scarf highlighted with pale gold and subtle, russet-red highlights. She holds the two long ends of the mantilla with her right hand, farther from us, below her bust. The ends of the scarf fall to mid-thigh over her long, ink-black dress. The bust of her dress is also white and shimmers, like the mantilla. Long, tight-fitting, off-white gloves nearly reach the short, puffed, cap sleeves of the dress. The back of the glove on her left arm, closer to her, is tied at the top with a bow, and she holds a silvery-white, closed fan in that hand. A brownish-coral colored necklace is painted as a squiggle of paint around her neck. Barely visible, the painter signed the painting in the lower left: “Goya.”
Francisco Goya, Young Lady Wearing a Mantilla and Basquina, c. 1800/1805, oil on canvas, Gift of Mrs. P.H.B. Frelinghuysen, 1963.4.2

Young Lady Wearing a Mantilla and Basquina

Francisco Goya · c. 1800/1805 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1963.4.2

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The Promenade

Gustave Courbet · 1866 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1963.10.113

A light-skinned man wearing a voluminous, ocean-blue, hooded robe sits at a cloth-draped writing table and looks up, fingers splayed over an open book and a pen held in his other hand, in this vertical painting. The man and desk take up most of the composition, which has an arched top. The man’s shoulders and body are angled to our right, and he looks off in that direction in profile. His balding head is rimmed with white hair curving over the large ear we can see, and he has a trimmed white and gray beard and mustache. His prominent nose is pointed, and his lips are closed. Light glints off the robe he wears so it shimmers in shades of topaz, aquamarine, and midnight blue. Voluminous white sleeves emerge under the mantle and are edged with narrow lace cuffs. His left hand, to our right, rests on an open book, which is propped against one or two other tomes. Near the edge of the table, two quills stand in the corners of a lidded inkwell, and a round, silver blotter, shaped like an upside-down chalice, and a lidded silver box sit nearby. The man’s chair has a tall post next to his shoulder to our left with a teardrop-shaped, gold finial. A second post, near his wrist, is lower and topped with a gold orb. The chair is draped in the same deep, raspberry-pink of the square table at which he sits. The tablecloth is edged with a wide band of gold along the bottom, and filigree-like gold decorations line the seams or folds at the corners. Brushstrokes are visible in many areas, especially in the colorfully charged blue and pink fabric. Beyond the man, to our right, a statuette of a person wearing a long, white robe over a white dress holds a baby. The clothing is edged with gold, and she wears a sphere-like gold crown. The baby also wears white and holds up one hand. The statuette stands on a platform supported by S-shaped corbels, and could have a projecting, squared awning over the top. This area is more loosely painted so some details are difficult to make out. In the background to our left, a wooden door stands open next to a dark space just behind the man’s head, so his profile is picked out against the shadow. The floor beneath is earth brown.
El Greco, Saint Ildefonso, c. 1603/1614, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.83

Saint Ildefonso

El Greco · c. 1603/1614 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1937.1.83

This painting depicts a woman standing in profile, facing the right. She has light skin, dark hair styled in a low bun, rosy cheeks, and pink lips, and she is wearing a white off-the-shoulder blouse and a red skirt. She holds a large woven basket filled with gray-and-orange fish and is resting it on her hip. The background shows a beach-like landscape with a vast blue sky over tan dunes with hints of orange and pink. The brushstrokes in the painting are thick and visible.
Auguste Renoir, Girl with a Basket of Fish, c. 1889, oil on canvas, Gift of William Robertson Coe, 1956.4.1

Girl with a Basket of Fish

Auguste Renoir · c. 1889 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1956.4.1

Two bottles, a carafe, drinking glass, plate, knife, and loaf of bread are arranged on a table covered with a white cloth in this horizontal still-life painting. The narrow table angles from the lower left toward the wall to our right. The bright white cloth is slightly rumpled, and the shadows are painted with silvery gray. A clear glass, square-bodied bottle holding amber-brown liquid extends off the left edge of the canvas. Next to it, a long-necked carafe filled halfway with clear liquid has a low, wide belly. The black handle of the knife angles toward us in the lower left corner, the blade pointing back to the other objects on the table. Just beyond the knife is a glass with a low stem and tall bowl, a silver-colored plate holding yellow material, perhaps bread or butter, and a green bottle filled about a third of the way with dark liquid, presumably red wine. The long loaf of bread is at the far side of the table. One round, crusty end of the loaf has been broken off and lies nearby. The room behind the table has nickel-gray walls on either side of a brown rectangle, perhaps a door or panel. A dark brown square along the top of the composition is hard to interpret. The objects and setting are loosely painted so some details are indistinct.
Claude Monet, Still Life with Bottle, Carafe, Bread, and Wine, c. 1862/1863, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 2014.18.32

Still Life with Bottle, Carafe, Bread, and Wine

Claude Monet · c. 1862/1863 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  2014.18.32

This is a portrait depicting the upper portion of a woman's body. She is facing the camera with a slight turn of her head to the left. The woman has soft facial features and a serene expression. Her hair is styled in a braided updo. She is wearing a dark high-collared garment with a subtle white line visible. The background is dark and textured, emphasizing the woman's features. The portrait appears to be a sketch or drawing, possibly created with charcoal or pencil.
Henri Fantin-Latour, Madame Ditte, 1867, black conté crayon, black chalk and blue pastel, stumping and erasure, with touches of white on laid paper, Woodner Collection, 1991.182.9

Madame Ditte

Henri Fantin-Latour · 1867 · black conté crayon, black chalk and blue pastel, stumping and erasure, with touches of white on laid paper ·  Accession ID  1991.182.9

An older man, a woman, and a child who holds a chair upside-down on his head stand near each other in this vertical painting, which is made with dabs and strokes of muted grays, cream white, and golden tan. The scene is lit from our right, creating deep shadows. At the center of the composition, the man has light gray skin and he stands with his body angled slightly to our left, as he looks in that direction. His eyes are shaded and he has a round nose over a mouth mostly covered in shadow. His hat has two peaks like rounded horns and a smoke-gray scarf wraps around his neck. He wears a loose, cream-white shirt under a slate-blue jacket, and dark pants. His feet are loosely painted so it is difficult to tell if he is barefoot or if his shoes are sketchily painted. A rolled-up mat held under one arm and a small wooden box held with the other hand are loosely painted and nearly lost in shadow. To our right, just behind the man, the child wears a parchment-white, full body leotard with long sleeves and pants. His pale peach-colored hands grip the ladder back of the chair, which rests upside down on his head and casts his face into shadow. To our left, the woman is mostly in shadow. A peach-colored oval suggests her face and she wears a dark garment, perhaps a shawl, over a coffee-brown, ankle-length skirt. Her weight rests on her right foot, to our left, and she holds a large drum by her other side. The background is painted indistinctly with an area of bone white in the upper left corner, which stretches nearly across the composition along the top. Most of the rest is darker sand brown with a small patch of turquoise-blue paint near the upper right corner.
Honoré Daumier, Wandering Saltimbanques, 1847/1850, oil on wood, Chester Dale Collection, 1963.10.14

Wandering Saltimbanques

Honoré Daumier · 1847/1850 · oil on wood ·  Accession ID  1963.10.14

This painting shows a horse racing event with a crowd of spectators. Close to us, people stand or sit on chairs, most with their backs turned to us, facing the race. Some people stand on the light brown chairs for a better view. The women wear long, colorful dresses and hold parasols, while the men wear suit jackets in shades of gray with black top hats. Behind the crowd, towards the center of the painting, is a long strip of green grass where riders on horseback race towards the left, visible over the heads of spectators. Across from us, on the other side of the green expanse, another crowd of onlookers is gathered, along with a few cream-colored tents. Beyond that is more green grass and darker green trees. The sky above is light blue with soft clouds in shades of cream and peach.
Jean-Louis Forain, The Races at Longchamp, c. 1891, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 2014.18.62

The Races at Longchamp

Jean-Louis Forain · c. 1891 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  2014.18.62