1864, Edouard Manet, Vase of Peonies on a Small Pedestal -- Musée d'Orsay (Paris)
From the museum label: Manet's free brushwork and virtuoso use of colour instantly earned him a reputation as a popular flower painter. Here, he depicts a bunch of peonies, a very fashionable oriental flower in nineteenth century Europe which he grew in his garden in Gennevilliers. The bouquet is in the process of being arranged. The painter shows a fresh cut flower in the foreground alongside fallen petals. This allusion to the passage of time is perfectly in keeping with the tradition of vanitas pictures in art.
Link to other Manet paintings
1864, Edouard Manet, Vase of Peonies on a Small Pedestal -- Musée d'Orsay (Paris)
From the museum label: Manet's free brushwork and virtuoso use of colour instantly earned him a reputation as a popular flower painter. Here, he depicts a bunch of peonies, a very fashionable oriental flower in nineteenth century Europe which he grew in his garden in Gennevilliers. The bouquet is in the process of being arranged. The painter shows a fresh cut flower in the foreground alongside fallen petals. This allusion to the passage of time is perfectly in keeping with the tradition of vanitas pictures in art.
Link to other Manet paintings