Edgar Degas (1834 – 1917)

A Horse Trotting Paris, Model: late 1880s, Cast: Hébrard foundry, Paris, 1919-21 Bronze 23.0 x 8.4 x 22.5 cm Degas’ interest in horses is evidenced by his numerous paintings with racecourse subjects, such as the Barber’s magnificent ‘Jockeys Before the Race’ of c.1878-79. This model may have been inspired by a photograph of ‘The Trot’ by … Read more

Jean Morin (c. 1590-1650)

Omer Talon  Paris, early 1650s Engraving Mount: 55.7 x 40.5 cm  This portrait is based on Philippe de Champaigne’s full-length painting of Omer Talon (1595-1652) produced in 1649. Champaigne was a founder of the French Academy in the mid 17th century and is best known for his portraits of royalty and important political figures. Talon’s … Read more

Henri Matisse (1869-1954)

Nude in Three-Quarter Profile, Part of the Head cut away Paris, 1913 Crayon transfer lithograph on Japanese paper 50.4 x 33.1 cm  Matisse’s nude figure is an expression of neither idealism nor realism.  With its simple but strong lines and cropped features, it is, rather, an almost abstract product of pure drawing. The image would … Read more

Auguste Rodin (1840 – 1917)

Bust of Victor-Henri, Marquis de Rochefort-Luçay (1830-1913) Paris, Model: about 1884; Version: about 1902 Marble 81.3 x 40 x 40 cm Henri Rochefort-Luçay was a radical journalist, art collector and patron, noted for his remarkably wild hair and equally fierce opinion. The original plaster model was made in about 1884, but this version was carved, perhaps … Read more

Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson (1889-1946)

Sur La Terrasse, Montparnasse, Paris Paris, 1919-1920 Lithograph 390 x 495 mm A fragmented, crowded vision of Parisian nightlife. In this image a lively crowd socialises under a canopy of trees, while cars speed beneath flashing signs and lights around them. Nevinson created a painting of the same title and subject in 1925. During this … Read more

ÉDOUARD MANET (1832-1883)

Charles Baudelaire Paris, 1865 Etching Composed after a photograph by the French photographer Nadar, this etching captures the immediacy of the original photographic image. The short busy lines swirl across the paper to build up the likeness of the art critic and poet Charles Baudelaire. Nadar took a direct approach to his portraiture, intending to … Read more

The Master of the Games (17th Century)

Soldiers Playing Cards Paris, the early 1650s Oil on canvas 85 x 114.3 cm A group of off-duty soldiers play cards in their barracks, their weapons temporarily set aside.  The artificial light casts long shadows and picks out their clothes and faces, hinting, perhaps, that we are looking at a group of portraits. The painting … Read more

Fernand Léger (1881 – 1955)

Composition with Fruit Paris, 1938 Oil on canvas 92 x 65 cm Paintings can be appreciated in purely abstract terms, and some cultures avoid representational art altogether.  But it was only in the 20th century that Western painters sought to limit their works to colour, line and form.  However, as Léger’s painting shows, representational elements … Read more

Attributed to Nicolas Lancret (1690-1743)

A Man Playing a Hurdy-Gurdy Paris, possibly the 1720s Oil on canvas 22.7 x 18 cm The hurdy-gurdy is a musical instrument which was originally associated with the poor and with beggars.  However, in the 18th century it was increasingly played by fashionable members of the nobility who wished to celebrate the simple pleasures of … Read more

Nicolas Lancret (1690-1743)

Lovers in a Landscape (The Turtle Doves) Paris, about 1736 Oil on canvas 75.3 x 97.5 cm A young man gazes at his elegantly-dressed partner and points to a pair of turtle doves.  The birds are the perfect model of faithful lovers who reciprocate their feelings with tenderness.  The couple’s romantic encounter in an idyllic landscape … Read more

Edgar Degas (1834 – 1917)

Mademoiselle Malo Paris, the early 1870s Pastel on paper 522 X 411 MM Mademoiselle Malo has not been conclusively identified, but apparently she was a dancer at the Paris Opéra.  Degas began to use pastel for portrait studies in the 1870s and this fine example is one of the earliest.  Degas appreciated the qualities of … Read more

PIERRE BONNARD (1867 – 1947)

The Evening Meal Paris, about 1903 Oil on canvas 37.4 x 45.5 cm The scene shows Bonnard’s sister Andrée Terrasse and two of her children, Robert, and, silhouetted against the lamp, Vivette.  They are seated for an evening meal in the Terrasse’s home at Le Grand-Lemps in the rural south of France.  Bonnard painted many … Read more

Paris Bordone (1500 – 1571)

A Mythological Scene Venice, the 1530s Oil on wood 41.7 x 96.3 cm In the centre a young man playing a viola da gamba is garlanded by a woman, whilst others pick blossom and gather blooms.  Venetian artists in the first half of the 16th century painted numerous pastoral scenes in which youths languidly make … Read more