DÉTAILS DE L'IMAGE

Douwes Fine Art b.v.

Henri Fantin-Latour (Grenoble 1836-1904 Bure)
Fleurs d'Automne, 1861
Oil on canvas
46.4 x 36.5 cm
Signed and dated lower left: Fantin Oct. 1861
Provenance: private collection, Europe; Galerie Hopkins-Custot, Paris, 2004; private collection, Belgium; Douwes Fine Art, Amsterdam, 2023

Henri Fantin-Latour belongs to the movement of French Realism. He befriended contemporary poets like Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine, and was influenced by the music of Wagner and Berlioz. Besides portraiture he is widely celebrated for a series of sumptuous, exquisitely detailed flower pieces and still lifes. This autumn bouquet is a prime example of one of these still lifes including different flowers such as lilies, chrysanthemums, a Veronique and more. It also shows Fantin’s brilliant use of colours. The condition of this painting is well preserved, signed and dated in the top lefthand corner. Painted in 1861 makes this a very early work by Henri Fantin-Latour who was only 25 years of age when he painted it! Although a realist painter, Fantin used a delicate technique in his still lifes creating a sense of calm emotions and etheric atmosphere.