Luncheon (Annette and Her Grandmother)1899 · Study 2020.118

Context from the museum

Vuillard depicted close family members in this intimate domestic scene. The woman at the lower right corner of the composition is his mother, Marie Vuillard. She is tending to a her grandchild, Annette Roussel, the daughter of Vuillard’s sister and her husband, Ker-Xavier Roussel, who was also an artist. The two figures are in the apartment that Vuillard shared with his mother in Paris. Vuillard adopted a particularly steep angle of view in this painting, looking down upon the interaction of the figures. The viewer assumes the position of the artist himself, looking over his mother’s shoulder as she lovingly feeds the baby.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

Vuillard began visiting his sister's home in the country more frequently and for extended periods of time after the birth of Annette, who was one year old at the time of this painting.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Luncheon (Annette and Her Grandmother) is 32.4 cm wide and 29.8 cm high, equivalent to approximately 12.8 × 11.7 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.09:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.10 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 10.8% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 133.8 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Luncheon (Annette and Her Grandmother) in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on board, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 32.4 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?