Floor plan

Time and placeFrance

France

A work made of watercolor and gouache, with pen and blue ink, over traces of graphite, on ivory wove paper, wrapped and adhered on verso to wood pulp board.
Two groups of people face off in front of a hilly landscape in this loosely painted, vertical scene. On our left, a pale young man in a white tunic looks with eyes wide and lips parted at a group of three people on our right. The young man's right hand, on our left, is raised to stroke the head of a reddish-brown horse at his right shoulder. He stands with feet planted wide, knees bent, and he curls his left hand into a fist. Behind him, a man holds up a fluttering, light blue cape. A mottled red wall forms a backdrop to this scene on our left. The tight group gathered under a tree on our right stares back at the young man. The trio is made up of a balding, older man, a light-skinned boy also wearing a white tunic, and, closest to us, a brown-skinned woman wearing a marigold-orange shirt and a maroon-red skirt. Behind this group, a pair of pale raised arms suggests a fourth person, but the head is missing or has been painted over. The ground under the people is saffron orange. In the center of the picture, beyond the people, a group of horses stands near a green bank by a river, its surface reflecting white. The far bank is lined with white buildings. Tan and olive-green slopes rise from the opposite riverbank under a pale blue sky with cream-white clouds sweeping along the top edge of the composition. The artist signed his name in red paint in the lower right corner: “Degas.”
The Kitchen of the Rôtisserie des Deux Paons, by Adolphe Monticelli, c. 1875–1881
The Repast of the Lion, by Henri Rousseau, ca. 1907
The Veteran, by Marie-François Firmin-Girard, 1870
Martha Scolding Her Vain Sister Mary Magdalene, 17th century

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Works made in France, from every century in the collection.

Section 1, north wall

  1. A work made of watercolor and gouache, with pen and blue ink, over traces of graphite, on ivory wove paper, wrapped and adhered on verso to wood pulp board.
    InspirationGustave Moreau, c. 1893Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Two groups of people face off in front of a hilly landscape in this loosely painted, vertical scene. On our left, a pale young man in a white tunic looks with eyes wide and lips parted at a group of three people on our right. The young man's right hand, on our left, is raised to stroke the head of a reddish-brown horse at his right shoulder. He stands with feet planted wide, knees bent, and he curls his left hand into a fist. Behind him, a man holds up a fluttering, light blue cape. A mottled red wall forms a backdrop to this scene on our left. The tight group gathered under a tree on our right stares back at the young man. The trio is made up of a balding, older man, a light-skinned boy also wearing a white tunic, and, closest to us, a brown-skinned woman wearing a marigold-orange shirt and a maroon-red skirt. Behind this group, a pair of pale raised arms suggests a fourth person, but the head is missing or has been painted over. The ground under the people is saffron orange. In the center of the picture, beyond the people, a group of horses stands near a green bank by a river, its surface reflecting white. The far bank is lined with white buildings. Tan and olive-green slopes rise from the opposite riverbank under a pale blue sky with cream-white clouds sweeping along the top edge of the composition. The artist signed his name in red paint in the lower right corner: “Degas.”
    Alexander and BucephalusEdgar Degas, 1861/1862Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. The Kitchen of the Rôtisserie des Deux Paons, by Adolphe Monticelli, c. 1875–1881
    The Kitchen of the Rôtisserie des Deux PaonsAdolphe Monticelli, c. 1875–1881Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. The Repast of the Lion, by Henri Rousseau, ca. 1907
    The Repast of the LionHenri Rousseau, ca. 1907Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. The Veteran, by Marie-François Firmin-Girard, 1870
    The VeteranMarie-François Firmin-Girard, 1870Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. Martha Scolding Her Vain Sister Mary Magdalene, 17th century
    Martha Scolding Her Vain Sister Mary MagdaleneUnrecorded French maker, 17th centuryCourtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Section 2, south wall

  1. Portrait of a Woman, by Jean-Marc Nattier, c. 1748
    Portrait of a WomanJean-Marc Nattier, c. 1748Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. The Card Players, by Paul Cézanne, 1890–92
    The Card PlayersPaul Cézanne, 1890–92Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Large, dark painting of Jesus sitting with three standing soldiers.
    Jesus Mocked by the SoldiersÉdouard Manet, 1865Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 2, north wall

  1. Joséphine-Éléonore-Marie-Pauline de Galard de Brassac de Béarn (1825–1860), Princesse de Broglie, by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 1851–53
    Joséphine-Éléonore-Marie-Pauline de Galard de Brassac de Béarn (1825–1860), Princesse de BroglieJean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 1851–53Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. We look up at the exterior of a church that soars the height of this vertical painting. The church is painted with visible dabs and strokes of azure blue, peach, lavender purple, and camel brown to create a blurred look, as if seeing a reflection in the rippling surface of a puddle. The church façade is angled to our left, away from us. The main door and its surround takes up the center of the composition, where a rectangular door is set within nested, pointed arches that lead up to a narrow, tall, triangular gable. The point of that gable overlaps the round, dark rose window, which is the same width as the portal surround below. Spires flank the central section and rise precipitously off the top edge of the painting. The sky above is painted with daubs of white and pale blue. The artist signed and dated the lower left, “Claude Monet 94.”
    Rouen Cathedral, West FaçadeClaude Monet, 1894Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. Painting of Greek landscape, classical architecture, yellow, red robed man reading.
    Landscape with Saint John on PatmosNicolas Poussin, 1640Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 3, north wall

  1. Queen Esther Approaching the Palace of Ahasuerus, by Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée), 1658
    Queen Esther Approaching the Palace of AhasuerusClaude Lorrain (Claude Gellée), 1658Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Beggar with a Duffle Coat (Philosopher)Édouard Manet, 1865–67Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 3, south wall

  1. Young Ladies of the Village, by Gustave Courbet, 1851–52
    Young Ladies of the VillageGustave Courbet, 1851–52Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. The image shows a sparse drawing of a landscape. A tree with elongated branches is on the left side, with a twist in its trunk. Near the horizon, there are several sailing boats on calm water. The composition suggests a vast openness and distance. The sketching is subtle and precise, focusing on gentle contouring and minimal detail. The color palette is monochromatic, dominated by a muted brown tone. The overall impact is serene and understated, inviting the viewer to focus on the hints of narrative within the scene.
    Arbres et Bateaux (Trees and Boats)Félix-Hilaire BuhotCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington