Henri Fantin–Latour was a master of flower still-lifes. By the 1860s his small-scaled, informal flower arrangements, usually set in front of a neutral background were especially admired and collected in Britain, where James McNeill Whistler had introduced the Frenchman to London’s artistic circles.
While some of Fantin-Latour’s more conventional works follow the tradition of 17th century Dutch and 18th century French still-life painting, the present flower piece is executed with a looser, more expressive brush, attesting the artist’s affiliation to the Impressionists.