Henri Matisse
Still Life, Bouquet of Dahlias and White Book
1922
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Henri Matisse
Still Life, Bouquet of Dahlias and White Book
1922
Physical Qualities
Oil on canvas, 19 7/8 × 24 1/16 in. (50.5 × 61.1 cm.)
Framed: 26 13/16 × 31 1/16 × 2 1/4 in. (68.1 × 78.9 × 5.7 cm.)
Credit Line
The Cone Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland
Object Number
1950.249
In this bold work, floral patterns play across the surface of the painting, seemingly contradicting the traditional concepts of foreground and background. The live dahlias in the vase spread across the width of the painting, merging with the flowers on the boldly decorated wallpaper.
On the table, Henri Matisse has also included a still life motif of two peaches and a glass of water, familiar from The Pewter Jug, on display in a nearby gallery. The empty chair and open book suggest that someone may have just stepped away, although Matisse has so compressed the objects against the wall that there would have been little space for anyone to sit.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by bequest, 1949; Etta Cone, Baltimore, by purchase, September 1923; Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris
Henri Matisse: du mot au dessin
Matisse, Picasso, and the School of Paris
In the Presence of Things: Four Centuries of European Still Life Painting
Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters: The Cone Sisters of Baltimore
Matisse, Life in Color: Masterworks From The Baltimore Museum of Art
Henri Matisse: l'object d'une promenade, une palette d'objects
Henri Matisse: une palette d'objets
Modern French Art
Cone Wing Rotations 2020
Cone Wing Rotations 2021
A Modern Influence: Henri Matisse, Etta Cone, and Baltimore
Cone Wing Rotations 2022
Cone Wing Rotations 2023
Cone Wing Rotations 2024
A Century of Baltimore Collecting 1840-1940
Cone Wing Rotations 2025
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Cone Collection of Modern Paintings and Sculpture," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1930, p. 6, no. 32. (Published as "Dahlias")
Etta Cone, "The Cone Collection of Baltimore-Maryland," Baltimore: Etta Cone, 1934, p. 24, pl. 53, ill. (Published as "Nature Morte Bouquets de Dahlias Nains")
"A Century of Baltimore Collecting 1840-1940," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1941, p. 84. (Published as "Still Life with Dahlias")
George Boas, Adelyn D. Breeskin, and J.G. D'Arcy Paul, "Selections from the Cone Collection," "News of The Baltimore Museum of Art," October 1949, vol. 13, no. 1, p. 16. (Published as "Still Life with Dahlias")
Alfred H. Barr, Jr., "Matisse: His Art and His Public," New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1951, p. 557. (Published as "Still Life with Dahlias")
"The Art of Henri Matisse," Palm Beach, FL: The Society of the Four Arts, 1953, no. 24. (Published as "Still Life with Dahlias")
George Boas, Adelyn Breeskin, and Gertrude Rosenthal, "Cone Collection: A Handbook with a Catalogue of Paintings and Sculpture," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1955, p. 34, no. 64. (Published as "Still Life with Dahlias")
Gertrude Rosenthal, "Fruit and Flowers," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1961, p. 30, no. 43. (Published as "Still Life with Dahlias")
Barbara Pollack, "The Collectors: Dr. Claribel and Miss Etta Cone," Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., 1962, p. 146, ill. p. 170. (Published as "Still Life with Dahlias")
George Boas, Adelyn Breeskin, and Gertrude Rosenthal, "Paintings, Sculpture, and Drawings in the Cone Collection," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1967, pp. 42, 67, no. 61, ill.
Massimo Carrà and Mario Luzi, "L'opera di Matisse dalla rivolta 'fauve' all'intimismo 1904-1928," Milan: Rizzoli 1971, pp. 102, 103, 113, 114, no. 410, ill. (Published as "Natura Morta con Dalie")
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Cone Collection from The Baltimore Museum of Art: A Benefit Exhibition at Wildenstein," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1974, no. 28. (Published as "Still Life with Dahlias")
"The Object as Subject: Still Life Painting in the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century," New York: Wildenstein, 1975, no. 41, ill. (Published as "Still Life with Dahlias")
John Russell, "The Staying Power of the Still Life," "The New York Times," April 6, 1975, p. 141. (Published as "Still Life with Dahlias")
Pierre Schneider, Massimo Carrà and Xavier Deryng, "Tout l'Oeuvre Peint de Matisse 1904-1928," Paris: Flammarion, 1982, pp. 102-103, 115, no. 410, ill. (Published as "Nature Morte aux Dahlias")
Brenda Richardson, "Dr. Claribel & Miss Etta: The Cone Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1985, pp. 94, 172, 173, 201, p. 172, ill.
Jack Cowart and Dominique Fourcade, "Henri Matisse The Early Years in Nice 1916-1930," New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1987, pp. 181, 334 pl. 135, ill. (Published as "Nature morte, bouquet de dahlias et livre blanc")
Jacqueline and Maurice Guillaud, "Matisse: Le Rythme et la Ligne," Paris: Guillaud Editions, 1987, pp. 188, 645, no. 181, ill. (Published as "Nature morte aux dahlias")
John Elderfield, "Henri Matisse: A Retrospective," New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1992, pp. 293, 334, 479, no. 260, ill.
Frank Milner, "Henri Matisse," London: Bison Books Ltd., 1994, p. 100, ill.
Guy-Patrice and Michel Dauberville, "Henri Matisse Chez Bernheim-Jeune, vols. 1-2," Paris: Éditions Bernheim-Jeune, 1995, pp. 1178, 1442, no. 599, ill. (Published as "Nature morte [chaise et plateau]")
Nobuyuki Senzoku and Akira Tomita, "Matisse and Modern Masters from the Cone Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art," Tokyo: Brain Trust Inc., 1996, pp. 76, 159, no. 27, ill.
Gabrielle Poulin, "La Vie l'Écriture: Mémoires Littéraires," Ottawa, Canada: Vermillon, 2000, cover page, ill.
Charles Darwent, "Double Vision," "The Independent," June 17, 2001, p. 20. (Published as "Still Life with Dahlias")
Jack Flam, "Matisse in the Cone Collection: The Poetics of Vision," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 2001, pp. 17, 76-77, pl. 33, ill.
Valakos, Dorothy. Matisse for Kids. Brochure. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Museum of Art, 2001, unpaged.
Fillion, Susan. Miss Etta and Dr. Claribel: Bringing Matisse to America. Boston: David R. Godine, 2011, page 12.
Cozzi, Leslie and Katherine Rothkopf (eds). "A Modern Influence: Henri Matisse, Etta Cone, and Baltimore." Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 2021. ill.
Inscribed: Recto: Lower right in black paint, "Henri-Matisse" Verso: Middle left, stamped, "12 F" The painting has been wax lined and there are no other visible inscriptions on the verso.