Collections: European Art: A Meadow in the Bourbonnais, Morning (Une Prairie du Bourbonnais, par un effet de matin)

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A Meadow in the Bourbonnais, Morning (Une Prairie du Bourbonnais, par un effet de matin)

In this painting, exhibited at the Salon of 1876 and considered his masterwork, Harpignies presents a vast landscape in the Bourbonnais region, dotted with grazing cows, ancient trees, and a snaking line of long, cool shadows leading to a distant horizon. Harpignies peoples the middle distance of the scene with children and peasant women washing laundry in the river, a long-standing custom of the area. For Parisian audiences scarred by the deprivations suffered during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71 and the humiliation of defeat, Harpignies' painting provided reassurance of France's beauty, bounty, and ageless traditions.


• Artist: Henri-Joseph Harpignies, French, 1819-1916
• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Place Made: France
• Dates: 1876
• Dimensions: 44 x 66 in. (111.8 x 167.6 cm) Frame: 52 1/4 x 75 x 3 3/8 in. (132.7 x 190.5 x 8.6 cm)
• Signature: Signed and dated lower left: "h j harpignies. 1876."
• Collections: European Art
• Museum Location: This item is not on view
• Accession Number: 55.18
• Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Thomas F. Walsh
• Image: Overall, 55.18_colorcorrected_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Henri-Joseph Harpignies (French, 1819-1916). A Meadow in the Bourbonnais, Morning (Une Prairie du Bourbonnais, par un effet de matin), 1876. Oil on canvas, 44 x 66 in. (111.8 x 167.6 cm) Frame: 52 1/4 x 75 x 3 3/8 in. (132.7 x 190.5 x 8.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Thomas F. Walsh, 55.18 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 55.18_colorcorrected_SL1.jpg)