Antoine Vollon (1833–1900), Pair of still lifes with oranges and lemons

Oil on canvas. Signed upper right. 22 x 30 cm

We present a rare pair of still lifes by Antoine Vollon, one of the greatest French masters of still-life painting in the 19th century. These compositions demonstrate the consummate skill of an artist who restored this genre to a central place in French painting.

The first canvas depicts a hammered metal pitcher placed on a tray, accompanied by a luminous lemon and a blue bouquet set in a small vase. A spoon rests on a warm-toned cloth. The deep, vibrant red background enhances the metallic gleam of the reflections and highlights the chromatic contrast with the lemon.

The second work presents a silver bowl filled with oranges resting on a crimson drapery with ample folds. A single orange lies in the foreground, introducing a touch of naturalism and spontaneity. The dark background accentuates the brilliance of the fruit and the shimmer of the silver.

These two paintings clearly respond to one another in a decorative intention: the deep reds, the richness of textures, and the silversmith’s objects compose a harmonious and balanced diptych. The strength of the brushwork, the density of the impasto, and the intensity of the colors reveal the hand of Vollon, who was known in his time as the “modern Chardin.”

Antoine Vollon began his career in Lyon, where he attended the École des Beaux-Arts. He trained notably under Théodule Ribot, with whom he became a pupil.

In 1859, he moved to Paris and quickly integrated into the artistic and literary circles of the capital. He became, among others, a close friend of Alexandre Dumas fils.

Celebrated during his lifetime as one of the greatest painters of his era, Vollon accumulated numerous distinctions: medals at the Salons of 1856, 1868, and 1869, followed by a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle of 1878. He was named an Officer of the Légion d’Honneur and became a member of the Institut, crowning a brilliant and widely acclaimed career.

His work spans various genres—landscapes, portraits, marine scenes—but it was in still life that he truly excelled. Heir to Chardin and admirer of the Flemish masters, Vollon combined classical tradition with a free and vigorous painterly style.

His paintings are preserved in major collections including the Musée d’Orsay, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, as well as in numerous other museums.

The two works offered here embody all the qualities that earned Vollon his renown: brilliance of color and subtle harmonies, technical virtuosity in the rendering of materials, refined composition playing on contrasts of light and shadow, and expressive power conveyed through a brushwork both controlled and spontaneous.

Together, these oils form a rare decorative ensemble, preserved in their original gilded frames, of true museum quality. They testify to Vollon’s prestige and his ability to rival the greatest masters of still-life painting.