Artwork
Young Woman in White Holding a Bouquet
Young Woman in White Holding a Bouquet is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Alfred Stevens. It dates from 1870 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right in monogram: AS
About this work
Technique & Style
Young Woman in White Holding a Bouquet is an oil painting executed on a wood support, a relatively small-scale panel measuring 28.
Young Woman in White Holding a Bouquet is an oil painting executed on a wood support, a relatively small-scale panel measuring 28.8 by 21.5 cm. Stevens's handling of the oil medium on this rigid wooden ground allowed for the refined, polished surface finish associated with his figure paintings of fashionable women. The work is classified as a painting and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having entered the institution as part of the Chester Dale bequest in 1963.
History & Provenance
Alfred Stevens executed this oil on wood panel in 1870. The work's early ownership history relies on labels affixed to the reverse, which indicate it was handled by Valadon Boussod et Cie. in Paris and New York, as well as the firm Scott and Fowles in New York. Subsequent records suggest the painting may have belonged to Henry Sayles of Boston and potentially appeared in his sale at the American Art Association on January 23, 1926.
Chester Dale of New York acquired the piece in 1926, possibly during the Sayles auction. Upon Dale's death in 1962, the painting passed to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as part of his bequest finalized in 1963.
The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
It entered the collection as a bequest from Chester Dale in 1963. Dale had acquired the work in 1926, likely at the sale of Henry Sayles at the American Art Association in New York on 23 January 1926.
Overview
Alfred Stevens created the oil-on-wood painting Young Woman in White Holding a Bouquet circa 1870. The work portrays a young woman in a white dress, standing in a doorway with a brick wall on one side and foliage behind her. The composition captures a moment of quiet poise, with the figure holding a small bouquet of flowers.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is a fair‑skinned woman with reddish hair, her dress adorned with ruffled neck and sleeve details. A red flower is tucked into her hair, and she clasps her hands together to support the bouquet. The setting suggests an interior‑exterior threshold, hinting at a transition between private and public spaces.
Context
Stevens, a Belgian artist active in the mid‑19th century, was known for his realistic depictions of contemporary women. His approach draws on the tradition of 17th‑century Dutch genre painting, employing detailed observation to achieve a lifelike representation that aligns with the broader Realist movement of his time.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Alfred Émile Léopold Stevens (11 May 1823 – 24 August 1906) was a Belgian painter, known for his paintings of elegant modern women.
- Portrait of a Young Woman
Autumn Bunch
Woman in a Garden
Portrait of a Young Lady
Woman in a Garden
White palette
Portrait of Madame Alice Hoschede
Portrait of Izabela Tyszkiewicz née Tyszkiewicz (1835–1907)
Viola Gallénin muotokuva
Madame Céline Leclanché
Portrait of a Woman in a White Dress
Young Woman Knitting