À propos de l’œuvre
Le Déjeuner, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · An abandoned family table in the garden · Musée d'Orsay
Le Déjeuner, decorative panel W285hand painted reproduction
A large table still loaded with crockery occupies the flowered terrace, while little Jean Monet plays with cubes under the trees. A hat hangs from a branch; a bag and an umbrella remain on the bench. Around 1873, Monet transformed these traces of a family meal into a monumental decorative panel, presented at the second impressionist exhibition of 1876.
Look at the work
Objects left behind silently extend the meal
The white table advances almost to the left edge and brings together carafe, bottles, plates, fruit and glasses. Very close to the viewer, the wicker sideboard is cut by the frame: this close framing makes the scene immediate and contrasts the first material shot with the more distant figures.
Jean plays in the shadows on the left, while a woman appears in the background on the right near the clear path. Between them, the uprights of the bench, the trees and the flowers organize several shots. The reds of the geraniums, the blues of the dishes and the greens of the garden circulate around the luminous tablecloth.
Monet does not recount the meal itself: he paints the next moment, when objects, interrupted gestures and light still retain the presence of the family.
Composition, touch and light
What Monet builds behind the impression of snapshot
Three precise elements allow us to understand this composition and the essential difficulties of faithful reproduction.
Bold framing on the scale of a decor
The truncated trolley and table seen up close give the impression of entering the garden. The two meter wide format confirms that Monet thinks of this scene as a sign intended to occupy a wall.
Depth arises from a succession of screens
Trolley, tablecloth, bench, child, figures and foliage overlap. The intervals of light between these masses lead the eye to the bottom without resorting to a rigid architectural perspective.
A family life suggested by accessories
Hat, bag, parasol, toys and cutlery identify activities without imposing a central action. Their dispersion produces this impression of instantaneousness that the museum notice underlines.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The visual corresponds to the Déjeuner, decorative panel, painted around 1873, inventory RF 2774 of the Musée d'Orsay and catalog Wildenstein 285. The unique WebP measures 1,296 × 1,024 px, definition of the exact file selected, without artificial enlargement.
The table is vast but never geometric
The folds of the tablecloth, objects and colored shadows break the large white surface. They must remain readable without hardening all contours.
The light alternates between sun and cool shadow
Creamy yellows, blues, pinks and greens meet between the terrace and the foliage. The shade is therefore neither gray nor uniform.
The figures remain integrated into the garden
Jean and the woman are painted with less detail than the nearby table. This difference in acuity is essential to the depth of the composition.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
Painted around 1873, this oil on canvas measures 160 × 201 cm. It is kept at the Musée d'Orsay under the inventory RF 2774 and listed Wildenstein 285.
A "decorative panel" shown in 1876
Monet presented the work under this designation at the second impressionist exhibition, Durand-Ruel gallery, under number 162. His scale constitutes an exception among his paintings from the 1870s.
Purchased by Gustave Caillebotte in 1878
Caillebotte acquired the painting directly from Monet on March 10, 1878 for 600 francs. The State accepted it in 1896 with the famous legacy of the painter-collector.
Jean Monet plays under the trees
The museum notice identifies the little boy on the left and emphasizes the apparently forgotten objects. These clues give the garden the character of a truly inhabited space.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- Maintain the cut framing of the service.
- Vary all the blanks on the table.
- Keep Jean in transparent shadow.
- Circulate red and blue accents in greens.
Work sheet
| Title | Le Déjeuner, decorative panel W285 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | around 1873 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 160 × 201 cm |
| Orientation | Monumental horizontal |
| Conservation | Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France |
| Inventory | RF 2774 · Wildenstein 285 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This large family garden is suitable for a living room, a dining room or a room full of light. A light oak, off-white or patinated green frame accompanies the terrace; a cream, gray blue or sage wall reveals the tablecloth and flowers.
