Asters in a Vase
- Date
- 1875
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 22 7/8 x 23 1/4 in. (58.1 x 59.1 cm)
framed: 31 1/2 in. x 32 in. x 3 3/4 in. (80 x 81.3 x 9.5 cm) - Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 4:1944
NOTES
Henri Fantin-Latour focused his creative attention on the furnishings and inhabitants of interior spaces. This still-life is a superb example of his virtuosic ability to create illusionistic space and capture minute detail. The artist covered a sketch with a thicker layer of paint, then scraped it to create texture. He then applied thin washes of oil paint to produce a shimmering effect. This technique of applying touches of color was pursued more fully by his Impressionist peers who valued spontaneity rather than description.
Provenance
Elizabeth Ruth Edwards (1833-1907), London, England [1]
- 1922
J. van Herwijnen, The Hague, The Netherlands
1922 - 1923
E. J. van Wisselingh & Co., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, purchased from J. van Herwijnen [2]
1923 -
Dr. W. L. MacDougald, purchased from E. J. van Wisselingh & Co.
Private Collection, Montreal, Canada [3]
- 1939
A. J. McNeill Reid (b.1893), London, England [4]
1939/04/21 - 1944
Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd., London, England, purchased from A. J. McNeil Reid [5]
by 1940 - 1944
Bignou Gallery, Inc., New York, NY, USA [6]
1944 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Bignou Gallery, Inc. [7]
Notes:
[1] Elizabeth Ruth Edwards and her husband Edwin Edwards (1823-1879) were close friends with Fantin-Latour, and acted as dealers for him in London. A 1939 exhibition catalogue from Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd., which included this painting, lists the previous collections as Mrs. Edwards, London, and Private Collection, Montreal ["Milestones in French Painting." London: Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd., June 1939, cat. no. 12].
[2] According to a letter from Philippe Brame, who was preparing a catalogue raisonné of paintings by Fantin-Latour, this painting was previously in the collections of Edwin Edwards, Reid & Lefevre, and E. J. van Wisselingh, Amsterdam [letter dated December 15, 1976, SLAM document files]. The E. J. van Wisselingh & Co. Fine Art Gallery was founded in 1838, and is one of the oldest galleries in The Netherlands. According to archival records at E. J. van Wisselingh & Co., they bought the painting in 1922 from Mr. J. van Herwijnen, and sold it the following year to Dr. W. L. MacDougald [email from Willem de Winter, E. J. van Wisselingh & Co., dated March 12, 2004, SLAM document files].
[3] Both dealers Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd. (see note [1]), and Bignou Gallery, Inc. indicate that the painting belonged to a private collection in Montreal, Canada [Bignou Gallery Albums, Frick Art Reference Library, New York, transcript, SLAM document files].
[4] The dealer A. J. McNeill Reid was the son of the founder of Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd, and served as one of the firm's directors. The painting was in his private collection until he sold it to the gallery on April 21, 1939 [email from Jacquie Cartwright, Lefevre Fine Art, dated April 15, 2004, SLAM document files].
[5] See note [4]. The painting was exhibited by Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd. in June 1939 (see note [1]). According to correspondence with Lefevre Fine Art, Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd. probably owned the painting jointly with Bignou Gallery, who took it into their stock in 1944 [email from Jacquie Cartwright, Lefevre Fine Art, dated April 15, 2004, SLAM document files]. Upon the declaration of war, Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd. virtually closed down, opening its doors only two days a week until 1944 when it reopened for regular business [National Gallery of Art provenance website, www.nga.gov].
[6] See note [5]. The painting figures in a Bignou Gallery Album at the Frick Art Reference Library, New York (see note [3]), and was shown in 1940 for the first time at the gallery ["French Painters of the Romantic Period." Bignou Gallery, New York, November 12 - 30, 1940, cat. no. 15]. It was also exhibited at Bignou Gallery in 1941 ["A Selection of 19th Century French Paintings." Bignou Gallery, New York, February 24 - March 21, 1941, cat. no. 6].
[7] Invoice from Bignou Gallery, Inc., dated January 11, 1944 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, January 6, 1944.
- 1922
J. van Herwijnen, The Hague, The Netherlands
1922 - 1923
E. J. van Wisselingh & Co., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, purchased from J. van Herwijnen [2]
1923 -
Dr. W. L. MacDougald, purchased from E. J. van Wisselingh & Co.
Private Collection, Montreal, Canada [3]
- 1939
A. J. McNeill Reid (b.1893), London, England [4]
1939/04/21 - 1944
Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd., London, England, purchased from A. J. McNeil Reid [5]
by 1940 - 1944
Bignou Gallery, Inc., New York, NY, USA [6]
1944 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Bignou Gallery, Inc. [7]
Notes:
[1] Elizabeth Ruth Edwards and her husband Edwin Edwards (1823-1879) were close friends with Fantin-Latour, and acted as dealers for him in London. A 1939 exhibition catalogue from Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd., which included this painting, lists the previous collections as Mrs. Edwards, London, and Private Collection, Montreal ["Milestones in French Painting." London: Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd., June 1939, cat. no. 12].
[2] According to a letter from Philippe Brame, who was preparing a catalogue raisonné of paintings by Fantin-Latour, this painting was previously in the collections of Edwin Edwards, Reid & Lefevre, and E. J. van Wisselingh, Amsterdam [letter dated December 15, 1976, SLAM document files]. The E. J. van Wisselingh & Co. Fine Art Gallery was founded in 1838, and is one of the oldest galleries in The Netherlands. According to archival records at E. J. van Wisselingh & Co., they bought the painting in 1922 from Mr. J. van Herwijnen, and sold it the following year to Dr. W. L. MacDougald [email from Willem de Winter, E. J. van Wisselingh & Co., dated March 12, 2004, SLAM document files].
[3] Both dealers Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd. (see note [1]), and Bignou Gallery, Inc. indicate that the painting belonged to a private collection in Montreal, Canada [Bignou Gallery Albums, Frick Art Reference Library, New York, transcript, SLAM document files].
[4] The dealer A. J. McNeill Reid was the son of the founder of Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd, and served as one of the firm's directors. The painting was in his private collection until he sold it to the gallery on April 21, 1939 [email from Jacquie Cartwright, Lefevre Fine Art, dated April 15, 2004, SLAM document files].
[5] See note [4]. The painting was exhibited by Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd. in June 1939 (see note [1]). According to correspondence with Lefevre Fine Art, Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd. probably owned the painting jointly with Bignou Gallery, who took it into their stock in 1944 [email from Jacquie Cartwright, Lefevre Fine Art, dated April 15, 2004, SLAM document files]. Upon the declaration of war, Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd. virtually closed down, opening its doors only two days a week until 1944 when it reopened for regular business [National Gallery of Art provenance website, www.nga.gov].
[6] See note [5]. The painting figures in a Bignou Gallery Album at the Frick Art Reference Library, New York (see note [3]), and was shown in 1940 for the first time at the gallery ["French Painters of the Romantic Period." Bignou Gallery, New York, November 12 - 30, 1940, cat. no. 15]. It was also exhibited at Bignou Gallery in 1941 ["A Selection of 19th Century French Paintings." Bignou Gallery, New York, February 24 - March 21, 1941, cat. no. 6].
[7] Invoice from Bignou Gallery, Inc., dated January 11, 1944 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, January 6, 1944.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.