Artwork
A Young Girl with Daisies
A Young Girl with Daisies is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It dates from 1895 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a young girl seated in a three-quarter pose, holding a daisy in her left hand while wildflowers rest on her lap.
The painting depicts a young girl seated in a three-quarter pose, holding a daisy in her left hand while wildflowers rest on her lap. She wears a brown skirt and a low-cut white blouse, her red hair braided, with her gaze directed beyond the frame. The landscape background suggests an idyllic, rural setting.
The inclusion of daisies and wildflowers may allude to youth, innocence, and the fleeting beauty of nature, themes Renoir often explored in portraits of children. The girl’s contemplative expression and loose, natural posture contribute to an impression of spontaneity and sincerity, aligning with the Impressionist emphasis on capturing fleeting moments and genuine human experience. The work’s vertical format and close framing focus attention on the subject’s delicate features and the delicate blooms she holds.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting on canvas executed in 1889, measuring 65.1 cm in height and 54 cm in width. It presents a vertical format portrait of a young girl shown at half-length, seated outdoors with a daisy in her left hand and wildflowers on her lap. The figure is rendered in Renoir’s fluid, luminous handling typical of his late style, with delicate modeling of form through softly blended brushwork.
The sitter’s auburn hair is arranged in a braid, and she wears a brown skirt and a white blouse with a deep neckline, her gaze directed beyond the pictorial field. The background landscape is suggested with broad, atmospheric touches rather than detailed description. The composition is signed in the lower right.
The painting has been in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art since its acquisition in 1959.
History & Provenance
The painting A Young Girl with Daisies (1889) was created by Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1889, as confirmed by both internal documentation and external sources. The work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York after being purchased from Suzanne Bernheim de Villers in 1959. Prior to this acquisition, the painting’s ownership history is undocumented in the provided sources.
The work’s creation date aligns with Renoir’s late-career period, characterized by a focus on portraiture and informal compositions. The painting depicts a young girl seated in a landscape, holding a daisy, and is executed in oil on canvas with a vertical format. Its provenance begins with the 1959 acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it has remained in the collection since.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir's 1889 oil painting, A Young Girl with Daisies, is held in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work was acquired by the museum in 1959 from Suzanne Bernheim de Villers. While the specific accession number is not provided in the available records, the painting has been cataloged as a key portrait within the institution's holdings.
The source material does not detail a specific exhibition history or list past showings for this particular piece, focusing instead on its creation date, physical description, and the circumstances of its acquisition by the New York museum.
Overview
Created by Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1895, A Young Girl with Daisies is an oil painting that captures a youthful subject. The artwork presents a seated young woman holding a small floral arrangement, set against an outdoor backdrop. This piece is currently housed within the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it offers an example of the artist's late 19th-century portraiture.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style.
