The First Mourning

The First Mourning (original French title Premier Deuil) is an oil‑on‑canvas painting executed in 1888 by William‑Adolphe Bouguereau. The work measures 203 × 252 cm and was created shortly after the artist’s personal bereavement, reflecting his grief over the death of his second son. It was first sketched in 1885, with the composition of the Pietà‑like figures already established.

The painting entered the collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires after being purchased from Argentine collector Francisco Uriburu. Since its acquisition it has remained in the museum’s permanent holdings.

The First Mourning (Premier Deuil) is held in the collection of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Museum of Fine Arts) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Created in 1888, the oil on canvas measures 203 by 252 centimeters. The work was acquired by the Argentine collector Francisco Uriburu during the final years of the nineteenth century.

While specific inventory numbers are not detailed in the provided records, the painting's presence in the museum is well-documented across multiple languages. Historically, the image gained further exposure through its inclusion in the Fotodrama de la Creación, an early sound film production by Charles Taze Russell. The painting depicts the biblical moment Adam and Eve discover the body of their son Abel.

Premier Deuil belongs to the academic art movement and exemplifies the late career of William-Adolphe Bouguereau, who at the time of its execution was among the most admired French painters in Europe, England, and the United States, enjoying commercial success within the Beaux-Arts establishment. Bouguereau was a member of the Société des peintres, sculpteurs, architectes et graveurs from 1883 to 1905, the milieu in which the Argentine buyer Francisco Uriburu acquired the canvas in the late nineteenth century. The painting's pyramidal composition, with Adam, Eve, and the deceased Abel arranged in a descending staircase of figures, recalls Renaissance prototypes associated with Michelangelo and Raphael, earning Bouguereau the nickname "the French Raphael."

The work was exhibited at the Paris Salon, where it drew commentary in the Buenos Aires press, including a public letter by Carlos Gorostiaga in El Diario. A preparatory sketch from 1885 is held by the Bibliothèque de l'Institut de France, and the painting later appeared in Charles Taze Russell's pioneering sound film Fotodrama de la Creación.

The First Mourning (Premier Deuil) is part of the permanent collection of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires, a fact repeatedly documented in its catalogues (2,3). Its title has been rendered in several languages, French, Spanish, and Italian, showing the work’s lasting recognition across Europe (3,5,6). Art historians cite the painting as a prime example of 19th‑century academic art, noting its compositional dialogue with Renaissance Pietà imagery (2).

Moreover, the canvas was employed in the Fotodrama of the Creation, an early sound‑film that used visual art to illustrate biblical narratives, underscoring its cultural resonance beyond the museum walls (6). These references illustrate the painting’s enduring reputation and influence on subsequent artistic and cinematic representations.

William-Adolphe Bouguereau's 1888 oil painting, The First Mourning (Premier Deuil), depicts a pivotal biblical moment. This large canvas, measuring 203 by 252 centimeters, is a significant example of French academic art from the late 19th century. It is currently housed in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where it offers a powerful visual narrative of profound human grief.