Artwork
La Mere Adele (Cordon Bleu)
La Mere Adele (Cordon Bleu) is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Robert Vonnoh. It dates from 1911 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1911 by Robert Vonnoh, the painting presents the subject in a direct, representational manner consistent with the portrait genre.
The work is a portrait depicting a woman, identified by its title as La Mere Adele. Created in 1911 by Robert Vonnoh, the painting presents the subject in a direct, representational manner consistent with the portrait genre. As a depiction of a specific individual, the artwork functions primarily as a character study rather than an allegorical composition.
The title suggests the figure may be a cook or a matriarchal figure associated with the "Cordon Bleu" designation, though the visual evidence in the sources confirms only the identity of the sitter as a woman. The piece captures the likeness of this female subject without explicit symbolic elements described in the available records, focusing instead on her presence and identity as the central meaning of the work.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1911, La Mere Adele (Cordon Bleu) is an oil painting on canvas by Robert Vonnoh. The work functions as a portrait, depicting a female subject. Physically, the piece measures 76.2 centimeters in height and 61 centimeters in width.
As a painted work on fabric support, it falls within the traditional classification of easel painting. The available records confirm the use of oil pigments applied to a canvas support, though specific details regarding the artist's brushwork, surface texture, or the current conservation state of the object are not elaborated upon in the primary documentation.
History & Provenance
La Mere Adele (Cordon Bleu) is an oil-on-canvas portrait painted by Robert Vonnoh in 1911. The work is recorded as part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently housed. The sources do not provide information about any commission, earlier owners, or exhibition history prior to its arrival at the Met.
Consequently, the known provenance consists of its creation by Vonnoh in 1911 and its subsequent acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Overview
Robert Vonnoh, an American Impressionist, completed La Mere Adele (Cordon Bleu) in 1911. This oil painting presents a direct portrait of a woman, embodying characteristics of the American Impressionism movement. The work is now part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, representing Vonnoh's contributions to portraiture within this style.
Context
Robert Vonnoh was a notable figure within American Impressionism, known for both his portraits and landscapes. His artistic development was influenced by his frequent travels between the East Coast of the United States and the artists' colony at Grez-sur-Loing in France. This exposure to European artistic currents, combined with his American sensibilities, shaped his distinctive contribution to the movement, exemplified by works like La Mere Adele.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Robert William Vonnoh (September 17, 1858 – 28 December 1933) was an American Impressionist painter known for his portraits and landscapes.
- Old Peasant
Dameportræt. Frøken Schmiegelow
Portrait of Marie-Thérèse Geoffrin, geb. Rodet (1699-1777)
Dameportræt. Frøken Schmiegelow
Retrato de Señora
Naisen muotokuva
Isoäidin muotokuva
Portræt af fru Bella Philipsen, f. Natanson
Portrait of Doña Ignacia Martinez de Hoz de Casares
Brustbild einer alten Bäuerin
An Elderly Peasant Woman
Mary Griffiths of Llandovery
