Artwork
Lilacs in a Window
Lilacs in a Window is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Mary Cassatt. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Cassatt’s choice of a single, loosely rendered bouquet against a muted interior suggests a fleeting moment of natural beauty captured within the private sphere.
The painting shows a modest interior framed by an open window through which a cluster of purple Syringa (lilac) blossoms emerges from a simple vase. The arrangement of flower, glass, and window edge functions as iconography for transience and domestic intimacy, common motifs in late‑19th‑century still‑life. Cassatt’s choice of a single, loosely rendered bouquet against a muted interior suggests a fleeting moment of natural beauty captured within the private sphere.
Originally owned by the Parisian collector Moyse Dreyfus, the work reflects the artist’s early patronage network and her interest in everyday domestic scenes, while the window motif underscores a dialogue between interior space and the outside world.
Technique & Style
Lilacs in a Window is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work is a still‑life depicting lilacs in a vase before a window, a genre Cassatt rarely pursued. Its creation dates to 1890.
The handling reflects the loose brushwork and attention to light and color characteristic of her Impressionist style, while the composition emphasizes the delicate interplay of purple blossoms against the interior space.
History & Provenance
Lilacs in a Window was painted by Mary Cassatt in 1890 as one of the few still lifes she produced, executed in oil on canvas. The work was originally owned by the Parisian art collector Moyse Dreyfus, to whom Cassatt had been introduced by her Impressionist friends. Dreyfus became a friend and early patron of the artist, and Cassatt acknowledged this relationship by including his portrait, titled Mr. Moyse Dreyfus, in her presentation at the Fourth Impressionist Exhibition of 1879.
The painting subsequently entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1929, where its accession number is 29.100.47 and it has been shown in Gallery 774.
Context
Lilacs in a Window occupies a distinctive niche in Mary Cassatt's oeuvre as one of the few still-life paintings she executed, diverging from her primary focus on domestic scenes and portraits of women. Created in 1890, the work reflects her deep integration into the Impressionist circle, evidenced by its original ownership by Moyse Dreyfus. Dreyfus was an early patron whom Cassatt met through her Impressionist peers and subsequently honored with a portrait in her 1879 exhibition at the Fourth Impressionist Exhibition.
The painting's current residence in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gallery 774 underscores its recognized status within major art historical collections. While Cassatt is predominantly celebrated for her depictions of mother and child, this oil on canvas demonstrates her engagement with floral subjects and her sustained relationship with the Parisian art market.
Overview
Mary Cassatt, an American painter, created Lilacs in a Window in 1880 using oil paint. This painting, a quiet still-life, depicts a simple floral arrangement. It represents one of the few instances where Cassatt explored this genre, departing from her more characteristic portrayals of mothers and children. The work is currently housed in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844 – June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker.
