Provenance
Purchased from the artist by Bernheim-Jeune, Paris [stock no. 14988, as Boules de neige], 15 May 1906, 500 francs. Druet, Paris, 19 Sept. 1906, with Pot de fleurs (coquelicots), [stock no. 14736] 2,000 francs. Sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 20 Nov. 1922, lot 85. Gérard frères, Paris, 8,500 francs. Georges Bernheim, Paris. Bernheim-Jeune, Paris [stock no. 23474] 20 June 1923, 11,500 francs. Georges Bénard, Paris, 5 Jan. 1924, 15,000 francs. Bénard sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 9 June 1933, lot 88. Édouard Jonas, Paris, 28,500 francs. Mrs H. Harris Jonas, New York, c. 1954. Justin K. Thannhauser Gallery, New York, by November 3, 1958 [letter from K. Kuh, November 3, 1958 in curatorial file]; sold to Mr. and Mrs. Sterling Morton, Chicago, December 1958 [letter of December 20, 1958 in curatorial file]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1959.
Accession Number
9510
Medium
Oil on cardboard
Dimensions
76 × 62.4 cm (28 3/4 × 24 1/2 in.); Framed: 96.5 × 86.4 × 10.2 cm (38 × 34 × 4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Sterling Morton
Background & Context
Background Story
Édouard Vuillard's "Guelder Roses and the Venus of Milo" (1905) is an oil on cardboard still life that combines a vase of guelder roses with a small reproduction of the famous ancient Greek statue. The juxtaposition of natural flowers and classical sculpture creates a dialogue between the living and the eternal, the organic and the ideal. Guelder roses, with their round clusters of white flowers, were a popular subject in French painting, and Vuillard's treatment emphasizes their delicate form against the solid mass of the Venus figure. The oil on cardboard technique gives the painting an intimate, sketch-like quality. The Venus of Milo, one of the most famous sculptures in the Louvre, represents the classical ideal of beauty, and Vuillard's inclusion of a reproduction in his still life reflects the presence of classical art in the everyday environment of the cultured French household. This painting belongs to the period when Vuillard was producing some of his most accomplished still lifes, combining his Nabi sensitivity to pattern and texture with a newly refined sense of pictorial structure.
Cultural Impact
Vuillard's still lifes with classical references reflect the deep engagement with artistic tradition that underlay his apparently modern, decorative style.
Why It Matters
This still life of guelder roses and the Venus of Milo brings together the natural and the classical, the flower and the sculpture each illuminating the beauty of the other through Vuillard's sensitive handling of form and surface.
