The early still life was executed in oil on a modestly sized panel (27 x 15.5 cm). Its intimate scale and sober composition suggest that Redon painted the work for himself. Redon created a hushed composition with a few simple elements – a handful of flowers in a Chinese porcelain cup holding bright red flowers against a calm background.
Odilon Redon, Flowers in a Small Chinese Porcelain Cup, 1884
From private ownership to a public collection
Flowers in a Small Chinese Porcelain Cup was part of the extensive collection of Andries Bonger (1861–1936), one of the most important collectors of Redon’s work. Bonger had close ties with the Van Gogh family: he was the brother of Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Theo van Gogh’s wife, and also knew Vincent van Gogh personally. He purchased the painting directly from Redon in 1902.
After being in private ownership for many years, the work has now been transferred to the State of the Netherlands and is held at the Van Gogh Museum. This transfer allows the museum to move closer to completing the former Bonger collection. In 1996, more than one hundred artworks from Bonger’s estate, including numerous paintings and pastels by Redon, were acquired by the State and placed at the Van Gogh Museum.
Early work in Redon’s oeuvre
Flower still lifes occupy an important place in Redon’s later oeuvre, but this work dates from an earlier period in which the artist mainly worked in dark, monochrome techniques. As such, it offers a rare insight into an early phase of his painting practice. Until now the Van Gogh Museum’s collection only featured flower still lifes by Redon from after 1900. This painting reveals an intimate and personal aspect of Redon’s artistry, one that would be further developed in his later, more colourful flower still lifes.
Digital collection
The catalogue of 36 works by Odilon Redon from the Andries Bonger Collection is now digitally available, alongside other contemporaries of Vincent van Gogh. This catalogue was created by curator Fleur Roos Rosa de Carvalho in 2022 and is now easily accessible.