À propos de l’œuvre
Nature morte au faisan, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · A pheasant and hunting accessories in chiaroscuro · Rouen Museum of Fine Arts
Still life with pheasant W7hand painted reproduction
A pheasant lies on the carved edge of a table, its red, speckled plumage lit against a large black green curtain. A basket of bottles, glass and a powder horn emerge from the shadows. Around 1861, Monet composed one of his oldest preserved paintings, still close to Chardin and Troyon but already very free in the treatment of feathers.
Look at the work
The pheasant's luminous plumage emerges from an almost entirely dark setting
The bird rests diagonally, its head falling beyond the right edge of the table. Its light wing rises above a back spotted with red, brown and white. The curve of the body concentrates the light in the center of the format.
Behind him, the wicker basket, bottles and stemmed glass merge with the dark green curtain. On the left, the powder horn and its cord introduce a light and oblique shape. The sculpted edge of the table closes the composition with a brown band.
The hunting decor remains picturesque, but the quick touch of plumage already makes the painted material the real center of interest.
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 chiaroscuro inherited from traditional still life
The bottom absorbs almost all accessories and projects the pheasant forward. This organization is reminiscent of Chardin while reinforcing the tactile effect of the feathers.
A fiery touch left visible
The Rouen notice emphasizes that the canvas appears in places in the crop. These reserves and rapid gestures suggest volume and silkiness without a smooth finish.
A motif included in the Hunting Trophy
The powder horn and its green cord reappear in the great composition of 1862. The connection shows how Monet then developed a repertoire of still lifes of game.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The visual corresponds to Still life with pheasant, circa 1861, MNR 637, deposit D.1954.5.1 in Rouen and Wildenstein catalog 7. The unique WebP measures 453 × 548 px, maximum definition of the exact public file available, without artificial enlargement.
The plumage alternates precision and reserve
Small white and red spots describe the back, while the wing and frill are rendered by wider passages. These changes of rhythm must be maintained.
Curtain is not uniform black
Bottle greens, browns and grays suggest folds and accessories. A blocked bottom would remove the depth and the basket.
The table edge must remain rich but secondary
Its brown moldings and warm reflections carry the bird. Excessively detailing them would distract attention from the plumage.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
Painted around 1861, this oil on canvas measures 76 × 62 cm. Listed Wildenstein 7, it bears the number MNR 637 and is deposited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Rouen under inventory D.1954.5.1.
One of Monet's first preserved paintings
Issue W7 precedes the great landscapes that will establish its reputation. Monet was only around twenty years old when he approached this traditional subject with already personal material.
From Chardin to Constant Troyon
The museum brings together the composition of Chardin's large still lifes and Troyon's animal art, which Monet had admired since the Salon of 1859.
A work found in Germany after the war
Discovered in Bavaria in 1949 then repatriated, the painting falls under the MNR system. It has been entrusted to the Rouen museum since 1954 pending possible restitution.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- Preserve the light curve of the pheasant.
- Vary the touches of the plumage.
- Keeping legible accessories in the shadows.
- Keep the green curtain very dark but nuanced.
Work sheet
| Title | Still life with pheasant W7 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | around 1861 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 76 × 62 cm |
| Orientation | Vertical |
| Conservation | Musée d'Orsay, on deposit at the Museum of Fine Arts in Rouen, Rouen, France |
| Inventory | MNR 637 · D.1954.5.1 · Wildenstein 7 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This still life is suitable for a dining room, library or interior with character. A walnut, patinated black or bronze frame extends its chiaroscuro; a pale ocher, deep green or warm gray wall reveals the pheasant.
