Vase of Flowersc. 1905 · Study 1935.233

Context from the museum

Rapturous flower still lifes like this dominated the last decade and a half of Odilon Redon’s career and provided his greatest commercial success. His interest in plants and flowers began in his youth; child of wine producers, he grew up northwest of Bordeaux and was sensitive to fluctuations in weather, light, and temperature affecting the grape harvest. When he was 20, Redon met Armond Clavaud, a botanist and draftsman who illustrated his own compendium of flowers of the Bordeaux region. Clavaud’s meticulously rendered drawings sparked the young Redon’s imagination and helped to instill his desire to paint “nature, as seen in a dream.”

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

A detail to notice

Redon returned to the subject of flowers many times throughout his career. His interest in plants may have been inspired by his friend and mentor Armand Clavaud, a botanist and illustrator who lived in Redon's hometown of Bordeaux.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Vase of Flowers is 59 cm wide and 73 cm high, equivalent to approximately 23.2 × 28.7 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.81:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.43 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 19.7% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 120.5 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 Vase of Flowers in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on fabric, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 59 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?