Artwork
Still Life with Pansies
Still Life with Pansies is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Henri Fantin-Latour. It dates from 1874 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Its subject matter reflects the everyday materiality celebrated by Fantin‑Latour, with the flower and apple serving as central elements of the composition.
The painting presents a modest arrangement that includes a blooming pansy and a solitary apple, set against a neutral backdrop. As a 19th‑century French still life, it exemplifies the genre’s focus on ordinary objects rendered with careful attention to texture and light. Executed in oil on canvas in 1874, the work is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, where it remains on display.
Its subject matter reflects the everyday materiality celebrated by Fantin‑Latour, with the flower and apple serving as central elements of the composition.
Technique & Style
Still Life with Pansies is an oil painting on canvas created in 1874 by Henri Fantin‑Latour. The work, measuring 47 cm by 56.5 cm, is classified as a painting and belongs to the still‑life genre. Executed in oil paint, the composition presents a carefully arranged bouquet of pansies together with an apple, exemplifying the realistic rendering and balanced formal qualities characteristic of Fantin‑Latour’s still‑life practice. The painting is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection, reflecting its provenance and institutional handling.
History & Provenance
Still Life with Pansies is an oil on canvas painting executed by French artist Henri Fantin‑Latour in 1874. The work, classified as a still‑life, depicts a bouquet of pansies alongside an apple. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s catalogue and its Wikidata entry, the painting entered the museum’s collection and remains on view there, establishing its current provenance.
No documentation indicates a specific commission; the work is understood to have been produced as an autonomous studio piece for the artist’s exhibition activities.
Still Life with Pansies, painted by Henri Fantin-Latour in 1874, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The painting, executed in oil on canvas, measures 47 by 56.5 centimeters. No specific accession number or exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Henri Fantin-Latour's Still Life with Pansies, an oil painting from 1874, exemplifies his dedication to the still life genre. This work features a modest arrangement of pansies and apples, rendered with precision. It showcases the artist's characteristic approach to depicting natural forms and subtle color relationships, creating an impression of quiet observation. The painting is part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
Context
Henri Fantin-Latour, a 19th-century French painter and lithographer, was known for his still lifes and group portraits of prominent Parisian cultural figures. While sometimes associated with the Impressionist tradition due to his contemporaries, his style maintained a more traditional realism, emphasizing careful observation rather than fragmented brushwork or transient light effects. This piece reflects his consistent focus on domestic subjects and botanical studies.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Ignace Henri Jean Theodore Fantin-Latour (French pronunciation:; 14 January 1836 – 25 August 1904) was a French painter and lithographer best known for his flower paintings and group portraits of Parisian artists and writers.
