Morisot, Berthe (1841-1895)
Julie Manet et sa levrette Laërte (Julie Manet and Her Greyhound Laertes)
1893
Oil on canvas, 73 x 80 cm
Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris
After the death of Eugène Manet in 1892, Berthe Morisot left the rue de Villejust and moved with Julie into a small apartment on the rue Weber in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. In 1893, Julie posed in the living room furnished with an elegant Jacob sofa, Louis XVI chairs and walls decorated with Japanese prints that her mother had probably exchanged for some of her paintings. Still in mourning, Julie is dressed in a black silk dress, cinched at the waist and puffed sleeves. She is represented with her dog Laertes, given to her by Stéphane Mallarmé. When Berthe Morisot disappeared, he became the teenager’s guardian. The symbolist poet actively participated in the organization of the posthumous exhibition that took place in 1896 in homage to Berthe Morisot. The work holds a special place in it. Hailed by several critics, it was chosen by Claude Monet in memory of his painter friend. (Marmottan)
See also:
• Manet, Julie (1878-1966)