White Lilacs

Henri Fantin-Latour painted numerous sketches of flowers and fruit which were received with great acclaim in England, resulting in the acceptance of his still-lifes in the 1862 Royal Academy exhibition in London. The following year the American artist, James McNeill Whistler, purchased several of his still-lifes and commissioned several others. Despite his immediate success in London, his reputation spread more quietly in Paris; however, he was held in high regard among a small circle of fellow painters and critics in the Batignolles group; whose best known member was Edouard Manet. Painted in 1888, the present lot reveals Fantin-Latour’s mastery of still-life painting. The white lilac and the green of the foliage stand in stark contrast against the subtle colouring of the background, resulting in an intriguing interplay of tones and textures which infuse the composition with a distinctive three dimensional quality.