À propos de l’œuvre
Le Déjeuner, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · The table after the meal in the Argenteuil garden · Musée d'Orsay
Le Déjeuner, decorative panel W285hand painted reproduction
A table still covered with dishes and fruit occupies the garden after the meal. On the left, little Jean Monet plays in the shadows; further on, a woman stands near the flowers. Monet uses the very large format of a decorative panel to bring together nearby objects, foliage, characters and discontinuous light in a family scene which seems captured without preparation.
Look at the work
The abandoned table tells the story of the meal while the garden continues its life
The white tablecloth forms the large luminous mass of the foreground. Plates, glasses, carafe, bread and fruit are placed there without symmetry. A wicker trolley, cut by the lower edge, advances towards the viewer and reinforces the impression of immediate framing.
On the left, Jean Monet sits near the table and plays with small wooden boards. A hat hangs from a branch; a bag and an umbrella rest on the dark bench. In the background on the right, a woman in a light dress appears in front of the vegetation. These scattered presences make you feel the before and after of the meal without imposing a central action.
The guests have left the table, but the objects, shadows and quiet gestures further prolong lunch.
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.
A large format organized by nearby objects
The canvas measures more than two meters wide. Rather than constructing a ceremonial scene, Monet places the trolley and table very close to the edge, then lets the figures shrink into the depth of the garden.
Shadow never turns off color
Under the foliage, the greens darken but remain crossed by blue, yellow and red. The tablecloth receives purple and blue gray shadows which shape its folds without removing its luminosity.
Verticals hidden in the vegetation
The uprights of the house, the branches, the feminine silhouette and the objects placed on the table stabilize a very abundant composition. They prevent the multitude of touches of flowers and leaves from becoming decorative or confusing.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The image corresponds to the RF 2774 inventory of the Musée d'Orsay and the Wildenstein number 285. The available file of 1,296 × 1,024 px was kept at its native definition then encoded in WebP, without enlargement.
The tablecloth is a mosaic of light
Its whites change from cream to blue gray and purple. The folds should follow the weight of objects and the fall of the fabric rather than becoming a uniform abstract pattern.
Jean remains a discreet figure
The child is almost absorbed in the shade of the garden. His hat, blouse and gestures must be legible nearby, without competing with the large light table.
The foliage filters the light
The leaves do not form a continuous green ceiling. Yellow, light gaps run through the branches, flowers and ground, creating the alternation of cool shade and sun that enlivens the entire scene.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
Painted around 1873, this oil on canvas measuring 160 × 201 cm is signed Claude Monet at the bottom right. It is kept at the Musée d'Orsay under the inventory RF 2774 and listed Wildenstein 285.
Presented as a decorative panel in 1876
Monet exhibited the painting at the second impressionist exhibition, under number 162. This designation underlines its exceptional format, at a period when the artist had largely abandoned the very large paintings of his beginnings.
Gustave Caillebotte buys it directly from Monet
The Musée d'Orsay documents the acquisition of March 10, 1878 for 600 francs. The work then entered the national collections thanks to the Caillebotte legacy accepted by the State in 1896.
From Luxembourg to the Musée d'Orsay
After the Luxembourg Museum, the Louvre and the Jeu de Paume gallery, Le Déjeuner was assigned to the Musée d'Orsay in 1986. Today it bears the inventory RF 2774.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- Maintain depth between trolley, table, child and bottom figure.
- Color the whites of the tablecloth and dishes.
- Maintain the freshness of shadows under the foliage.
- Distribute flowers and fruits without decorative regularity.
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 | 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 landscape is suitable for a generous dining room or living room wall. A natural oak, deep green or patinated gold frame accompanies the foliage; soft side light reveals the whites of the table without crushing the shadow details.
