Rest

c. 1863

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes

Associated Names
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes

Artist, French, 1824 - 1898

This is a painting of various people gathered in a pastoral setting. The scene features a group of nude and partially-clothed people of different ages, including an elderly man who is seated on the left, gesturing to the others around him. The people all have pale skin and hair in shades of blond, brown, and orange, and some of them wear wide-brimmed yellow hats. Some have cloth draped around their waists in shades of blue, white, and yellow. The setting includes lush greenery with a tree in the background and distant mountains or hills under a pale-gray sky. Objects such as scythes, an anvil, and other tools are scattered around the group. The border surrounding the painting is dark blue and decorated with a pattern of leaves and fruits.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 108.5 x 148 cm (42 11/16 x 58 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1942.9.54

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Sold by the artist c. 1872 to (Durand-Ruel, New York and Paris). Hiltbrunner Collection, by 1887. (Durand-Ruel, New York and Paris). John G. Johnson [1841-1917], Philadelphia, by 1888; sold 1899 to Peter A. B. Widener [1834-1915], Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; Inheritance from the Estate of Peter A. B. Widener by gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener, Elkins Park; gift 1942 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1867

  • Exposition universelle, Paris, 1867, no. 526.

1873

  • Sixth Exhibition of the Society of French Artists, Durand-Ruel, London, 1873, no. 119.

1887

  • Celebrated Paintings by Great French Masters, National Academy of Design, New York, 1887, no. 58.

  • Exposition de tableaux, pastels, dessins par M. Puvis de Chavannes, Galeries Durand Ruel, Paris, 1887, no. 14.

1976

  • Puvis de Chavannes, Palais du Louvre, Paris; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1976-1977, no. 40.

1994

  • Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Amsterdam, 1994, no. 29, repro.

2014

  • Arcadia by the Shore: The Mythic World of Puvis de Chavannes, The Bunkamura Museum of Art, Tokyo; Shimane Art Museum, Matsue, 2014, no. 13, repro.

2016

  • Spectaculaire Second Empire, 1852-1870, Musée d'Orsay, Paris; Dallas Museum of Art, 2016-2017 (shown only in Paris), no. 197, repro.

Bibliography

1915

  • Roberts, William. Pictures in the Collection of P.A.B. Widener at Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania: British and Modern French Schools, Philadelphia, 1915: unpaginated, repro.

1931

  • Paintings in the Collection of Joseph Widener at Lynnewood Hall. Intro. by Wilhelm R. Valentiner. Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, 1931: 194, repro.

1948

  • Paintings and Sculpture from the Widener Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1948 (reprinted 1959): 101, repro.

1965

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 105.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 93, repro.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 276, repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 320, repro.

Inscriptions

lower left: P.PUVIS DE CHAVANNES; lower center in border of fruits, flowers, and musical instruments: LE REPOS

Wikidata ID

Q20188640

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