Artwork
Henry White
Henry White is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Léon Bonnat. It dates from 1882 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left: Ln Bonnat / 1882
About this work
Technique & Style
Henry White is executed in oil on canvas, a traditional medium well suited to Léon Bonnat's portrait practice.
Henry White is executed in oil on canvas, a traditional medium well suited to Léon Bonnat's portrait practice. The work is classified as a painting within the portrait genre.
The canvas measures 146.69 cm in height by 116.05 cm in width, providing a substantial format for a single-sitter composition. The 1882 dating aligns with Bonnat's mature period of formal portrait commissions, when his handling typically combined precise draftsmanship with a restrained, sober palette suited to depicting prominent sitters. The painting is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Henry White was painted by Léon Bonnat in 1882, executed in oil on canvas. The work descended within the sitter's family for several generations before entering a public collection: from the sitter, Henry White (1794–1882), to his grandson Henry White (1850–1927), then to John Campbell White (1884–1967), and by inheritance to the sitter's great-great-granddaughter, Margaret Rutherfurd White Bennett (Mrs. William Tapley Bennett, Jr.), of Washington, D.C. In 2018 she gave the painting to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it was accessioned that year.
Overview
This oil on canvas portrait, titled Henry White, was created by the French artist Léon Bonnat in 1882. Bonnat, a prominent painter and professor at the École des Beaux-Arts, was recognized for his contributions to both portraiture and historical painting. The work exemplifies the realist approach prevalent in his oeuvre, presenting its subject with directness and clarity.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts an older man, Henry White, seated in a chair. He is dressed in formal attire, consisting of a dark suit, a white shirt, and a black bow tie, with his hands clasped in front of him. His expression is serious, contributing to the work's overall gravity.
Bonnat's composition emphasizes the sitter's presence through his attire and posture, aligning with the realist aim of presenting individuals without idealization.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (French pronunciation:; 20 June 1833 – 8 September 1922) was a French painter, Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur, art collector and professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts.
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