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Cats. 1–10 Early Caricatures Cat. 11  Boy in the Country, 1857 Cat. 12  Cliffs and Sea, Sainte-Adresse, c. 1865 Cat. 13  The Beach at Sainte-Adresse, 1867 Cat. 14  On the Bank of the Seine, Bennecourt, 1868 Cat. 15  The Artist’s House at Argenteuil, 1873 Cat. 16  Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare, 1877 Cat. 17  Apples and Grapes, 1880 Cat. 18  Boats Lying at Low Tide at Fécamp, 1881 Cat. 19  Cliff Walk at Pourville, 1882 Cat. 20  Bordighera, 1884 Cat. 21  Étretat: The Beach and the Falaise d’Amont, 1885 Cats. 22–23  Étretat, 1885 Cat. 24  Rocks at Port-Goulphar, Belle-Île, 1886 Cat. 25  The Petite Creuse River, 1889 Cat. 26  Poppy Field (Giverny), 1890–91 Cats. 27–33  Stacks of Wheat, 1890/91 Cat. 34  Sandvika, Norway, 1895 Cat. 35  The Customs House at Varengeville, 1897 Cat. 36  Branch of the Seine near Giverny (Mist), 1897 Cat. 37  Water Lily Pond, 1900 Cats. 38–41  London Cats. 42–43  Vétheuil, 1901 Cat. 44  Water Lilies, 1906 Cat. 45  Venice, Palazzo Dario, 1908 Cat. 46  Irises, 1914/17 Cat. 47  Water Lily Pond, 1917/19

Top section shows horizontal bands of green lily pads with light yellow-white spots on blue water touched with purple. The center is mostly open blue water with a darker vertical area. Bottom half has scattered green lily pads and several small pink water‑lily blossoms, densest at the lower left, with a few pads and blossoms spaced toward the right; the pads appear larger than the blossoms.

Cat. 44

Water Lilies[1]
1906
Oil on canvas; 89.9 × 94.1 cm (35 3/8 × 37 1/16 in.)
Signed and dated: Claude Monet 1906 (lower right, in reddish-brown paint)
The Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection, 1933.1157

Water Lilies: An Obsession

In August 1908—less than one year before Claude Monet exhibited the Art Institute’s Water Lilies at the Durand-Ruel gallery in Paris along with almost fifty other paintings of the same motif—the artist was experiencing anxiety about the series. “Know that I am absorbed by my work,” he wrote to his friend the art critic Gustave Geffroy. “These landscapes of water and reflections have become an obsession. It is beyond my powers as an old man, and yet I want to arrive at rendering what I feel. I have destroyed some . . . Some I recommence . . . and I hope that after so many efforts, something will come out.”[2] These struggles had already forced Monet to twice postpone exhibiting this series of works. But after a trip to Venice in late 1908 (see cat. 45)—one that allowed him to look at his paintings of water lilies with “a clearer eye”—Monet was finally ready to pronounce them finished.[3]1

The exhibition, which eventually opened on May 6, 1909, and was scheduled to run until June 5, proved to be a great success, so much so that Durand-Ruel wanted to send the show on to London and Berlin; although Monet would not agree to this, the Paris show was extended by a week.[4] Monet called the group of paintings on view Les nymphéas, series de paysages d’eau (Water Lilies: Series of Water Landscapes). The series, begun in 1903 following a significant renovation of the water garden at his Giverny home, affirmed Monet’s commitment to innovation and his desire to challenge the conventional definition of landscape painting.2

Water Lilies Transformed

The Water Lilies series that Monet undertook between 1903 and 1908 was not his first engagement with the subject. Nonetheless, they were radically different from his previous depictions of the motif (see Water Lily Pond, cat. 37 [W1628], fig. 44.1). In his earlier treatment of the subject, Monet retained the traditional components of a landscape painting, representing the horizontal zones of water and land, and provided glimpses of the sky above. In each of these works, he grounded the viewer by including the Japanese bridge he had built over the pond, as well as the plantings around its bank.3

At the top, dense green foliage hangs down, and an arched dark green-blue footbridge stretches left to right across the upper center. Below it, a broad pond fills most of the scene with blue-green lily pads and small pink and white blossoms, with patches of reddish-brown and green water showing through. Tall grasses and bushes in dark and light greens line the sides, and vertical bands of yellow-green and teal reflections run downward on the water. The bridge is large and spans the width, while the lilies appear small and scattered across the wide surface.

Fig. 44.1


Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). Water Lily Pond, 1900. Oil on canvas; 89.8 × 101 cm (35 3/8 × 39 3/4 in.). The Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection, 1933.441.

From 1903 onward, however, Monet’s treatment of the motif was much more experimental. Shifting viewpoints, the artist played with the relative proportion of water, land, and sky that remained visible, and in the majority of the works, he altogether eliminated the sky in the upper reaches of the canvas, leaving it discernible only as a reflection in the water (fig. 44.2 [W1656]).[5] As Monet continued with these works, he became increasingly preoccupied with the reflection of the sky in the water, but he retained geographically specific elements that help orient the viewer. For example, in Le bassin des nympheas, at the Denver Art Museum (fig. 44.3 [W1666]), Monet included a sliver of the bank at the top of the canvas.[6] The work in the Dayton Art Institute (fig. 44.4 [W1657]), however, shows no indication of a horizon line; it is Monet’s addition of foliage hanging from overhead that helps to position the viewer on a bank near which the tree or stalk must be rooted.[7]4

Top edge shows a dense strip of dark green foliage. Below it, purple-blue water spans the scene with soft reflections of pale pink and white clouds and green leaves. Clusters of small green lily pads with a few pink and white flowers sit near the upper middle and lower left, appearing small compared with the wide expanse of water. The left and right edges are bordered by darker green areas that fade into the water.

Fig. 44.2


Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). Water-Lily Pond (The Clouds), 1903. Oil on canvas; 73 × 100 cm (28 3/4 × 39 3/8 in.). Private collection.

Top area shows dense green foliage along the far bank, with its colors mirrored in the water below. Across the middle from left to right, bands of flat green lily pads with small pink and white flowers float on the pond, with lighter yellow‑green pads mixed among darker green patches. The lower half is mostly darker water with blurred reflections and a few scattered lily pads near the bottom edge; the pads and flowers are small compared with the broad surface of the pond. Colors are dominated by greens, with touches of pink, white, yellow, and hints of purple.

Fig. 44.3


Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). Le bassin des nympheas, 1904. Oil on canvas; 89 × 92 cm (35 × 36 1/4 in.). Denver Art Museum, funds from Helen Dill bequest, 1935.14.

From the top left, dark green leaves hang over a calm water surface in blue and purple tones. Across the middle and right, light green lily pads float in loose clusters with small white and pale yellow flowers. In the lower left, a denser group of lily pads includes a few pink blossoms, while more open water fills the lower center and right. The pads are medium-sized ovals, and the flowers appear as small, bright dots.

Fig. 44.4


Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). Waterlilies, 1903. Oil on canvas; 81.3 × 101.6 cm (32 × 40 in.). Dayton Art Institute, gift of Mr. Joseph Rubin, 1951.11.

But over the course of creating his water lily pond paintings in the period 1903–08, Monet included fewer and fewer elements of (nonreflected) reality aside from the water itself. In the Art Institute’s painting, the sky and foliage surrounding the pond are only visible as amorphous and barely decipherable reflected forms. Monet also used canvases that were unconventional for the depiction of landscapes. The close-to-square format used in Water Lilies was not unusual for the artist (he had also used it for the earlier Water Lily Pond [cat. 37]), but the division of the canvas into irregular sections—the water lilies are unconventionally concentrated in the upper right and lower left corners and are divided by a diagonal swath of water—creates an otherworldly quality that defies any expectation of axial orientation.[8] Monet pushed this concept even further by making a number of decorative, circular canvases (fig. 44.5 [W1729]).[9]5

Blue water fills most of the scene, with soft green areas across the surface. Top half shows scattered small pink water-lily flowers and thin light-green streaks. Bottom-left and bottom-right edges have clusters of round lily pads with pink and pale yellow blossoms, while the center remains mostly open blue water. The pads and flowers appear small and spaced out across the surface.

Fig. 44.5


Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). Water Lilies, 1908. Oil on canvas; diam. 80.01 cm (31 1/2 in.). Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated.

Creating Water Lilies

The incredible variation of Monet’s viewpoints and the airy quality he incorporated into his water landscapes from 1903–08 make them appear effortless. But, as noted above, this belies the fact that Monet struggled intensely with these paintings, something suggested by an account published in 1908 that claimed “all those who saw the pictures in February and March considered them ‘overworked,’ that is, they showed too plainly how long they had stood on the easel.”[10] Indeed, technical examination reveals that Monet worked on Water Lilies over several sessions (see Technical Report). He built up the painting by superimposing layer upon layer of gestural brushwork on the canvas. In raking light, many of these underlying brushstrokes that do not correspond to forms in the final composition are quite evident (fig. 44.6). In the upper right corner of the canvas, it is also apparent that Monet applied at least eight or nine layers of paint in some areas, further revealing the extent of the artist’s complex painting process (fig. 44.7).6

Top section shows deep blue water with horizontal bands of dark green vegetation. Across the middle, small green lily pads are scattered on the blue surface. The bottom area has more lily pads and a few small pink flowers emerging from the water, with a dense patch of green foliage at the lower left corner. Colors are primarily blue and green with small accents of pink.
Raking Light
Top section shows horizontal bands of green lily pads with small white and yellow touches floating on blue-violet water. The center is mostly open blue water with faint darker patches and few pads. Bottom section has clusters of round green lily pads; at the lower left and lower middle, several small pink flowers appear among the pads, looking small compared with the wide expanse of water.
Natural Light
Alt text for the image
Natural Light

Fig. 44.6

Raking-light and natural-light images of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the buildup of the brushwork. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157. Interactive image.

Upper area is mostly purple and lavender with small blue patches and faint light spots. Through the center, a tall, jagged-edged wedge of green runs upward, with darker green specks and short streaks around it. Left side shows horizontal streaks of light purple and white, while the bottom edge has bands of dark blue, violet, and white; the lower right has a pale aqua and white area. A black scale bar labeled 5.0 mm sits in the lower left.
Monet 33.1157 MIC 18
A large solid black area fills most of the frame from top to center. In the bottom-right corner, a smaller rectangle contains horizontal bands of blue, purple, and green with scattered small light yellow and white spots near the lower band. Slightly right of center in the upper portion of this rectangle, a small black outlined box highlights a pale gray‑green patch. A thin off‑white edge is visible along the top border of the colorful rectangle.
Detail Location

Fig. 44.7

Photomicrograph of the pond in Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the buildup of the paint layers. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Monet’s changing technique and the tremendous effort he expended on the 1903–08 series of water lilies is particularly evident when compared to the Art Institute’s earlier Water Lily Pond (cat. 37). Although Water Lilies and other works from the 1903–08 group give the impression of being more fleeting and ephemeral than those he created in 1899–1900, transmitted-light images show the opposite to be true: in the earlier canvas, Monet left significantly more ground exposed (fig. 44.8). By exploiting the reflection of light off the ground layer, he suggested the transparency of water. In Water Lilies, however, only a very small portion of the ground layer has been left uncovered (fig. 44.9). The semblance of reflective light in the painting was a result of the paint that Monet had applied rather than ground left bare. A comparison of the palette used in these two paintings confirms this observation as well. While at first glance, the 1906 painting—in which the artist incorporated cool blues, purples, and greens over the entire canvas—appears more monochromatic and less flamboyantly colored than the 1900 painting, Monet actually used a similar range of pigments in both. In sum, the painting that appears more planned and even garish—Water Lily Pond, from 1900—was less worked; the one that seems more momentary—Water Lilies, from 1906—was far more labor intensive.7

Top area is dark maroon and black with irregular, layered horizontal bands and clustered patches. Across the center runs a wide horizontal band of golden yellow and orange, broken by many small dark speckles. The bottom section is mostly deep maroon and black with dense mottled spots, while the left edge is very dark and the right side has concentrated orange highlights.
Transmitted Light
At the top, dense green foliage with touches of yellow hangs down toward the center, where a curved dark green bridge stretches from left to right. Below the bridge, a pond fills the lower half, covered with blue-green lily pads and scattered small pink and white flowers, with areas of reddish-brown water reflecting the greenery. Plants line both banks, with taller grasses on the left and bushier shrubs on the right, bordering the bridge and pond.
Natural Light
Alt text for the image
Natural Light

Fig. 44.8

Transmitted-light and natural-light images of Monet’s Water Lily Pond (1900) showing the open brushwork. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.441. Interactive image.

Top area shows dark blue water with horizontal bands of green lily pads and small pale highlights. The center has an open expanse of deep blue with scattered warm reflections in pink and soft orange. The bottom half contains more small, round green lily pads with a few tiny pink buds, spaced across the water. Clusters are denser on the right side and sparser on the left.
Transmitted Light
Top section shows several narrow horizontal bands of green lily pads with small white flowers on blue‑violet water. The middle is mostly open blue water with a few soft, darker patches. Along the lower left and bottom edge, clusters of round green lily pads are denser, with a handful of small pink blossoms; individual pads and buds are more spaced out toward the lower center and right.
Natural Light

Fig. 44.9

Transmitted-light and natural-light images of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the relatively dense buildup of the brushwork. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157. Interactive image.

Instruments of Reflection

Despite differences in execution and composition, there is a constant in the Art Institute’s paintings of Monet’s water garden from 1900 and 1906: the water lilies, those organisms that symbolize the merging of the aquatic and terrestrial worlds. At times, Monet downplayed the importance of the flora in his water garden paintings, claiming that his true subjects were the light and the weather conditions.[11] As he mentioned in a posthumously published interview: “The effect does change, constantly, not only from one season to another, but from one minute to the next as well, for the water flowers are far from being the whole spectacle; indeed, they are only its accompaniment. The basic element of the motif is the mirror of water, whose appearance changes at every instant because of the way bits of the sky are reflected in it, giving it life and movement.”[12] Although the water lilies may have been, according to Monet, “just the accompaniment,” the art historian Paul Tucker has noted that in the Art Institute’s Water Lilies painting, they critically “perform their part by keeping the whole picture buoyant.”[13] Indeed, they play the critical role of designating the transition between that which is above and below the water’s surface.8

Despite Monet’s later recollection, Water Lilies demonstrates that the plants were crucial to the way in which he mapped out this canvas. As revealed by the X-ray of the painting, Monet planned a number of the water lily groupings very early on in the compositional process, sometimes directly over the ground layer (see Technical Report). There is also evidence that Monet built up the water around most of the plant groupings, indicating the fundamental role they played in the composition (fig. 44.10). In addition, the water lilies were details that Monet fussed over. In the Art Institute’s painting, there is evidence that Monet initially planned a denser grouping of the plants in the foreground, but that he went back and edited out some of them in order to achieve just the right balance (fig. 44.11).9

Across the top, broad horizontal bands of light and dark gray run left to right, with clusters of short, wispy marks. The center shows a faint grid of rectangular sections and four small white dots slightly right of center, surrounded by mid-gray smudges. Toward the bottom, denser swirling gray patterns create several narrow vertical streaks, and a thin border with evenly spaced short lines frames all four edges.
X-Ray
From top to bottom, blue water fills the view, with horizontal bands of green lily pads and small white highlights near the top. The middle area is mostly open blue and purple water. The lower half contains clusters of small round green lily pads with several small pink blossoms, denser at the bottom left and more scattered toward the bottom right; these pads and flowers are small compared with the broad expanse of water.
Natural Light

Fig. 44.10

X-ray and natural-light details of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing changes made during the painting process. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157. Interactive image.

From top to bottom, uneven horizontal bands in light and medium gray run across, with darker strips interspersed. In the center, a faint grid of rectangular sections is visible, and four small white dots appear just below the midpoint; irregular streaks cluster more densely on the right side than the left. The lower third shows thicker, layered light‑gray streaks over darker gray patches. A thin dark border surrounds all sides, marked with short, evenly spaced white tick marks.
X-Ray
At the top, long bands of green lily pads with small white or yellow flowers cross blue water. The center is mostly open water in bright to dark blue, with a vertical darker area. Along the left edge and lower left corner, pads cluster around several pink flowers, while the bottom half holds scattered green pads of different sizes with a few pink buds separated by open water.
Natural Light

Fig. 44.11

X-ray and natural-light details of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the buildup of the paint layers. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157. Interactive image.

A period photograph showing a hatted individual’s shadow looming over a water lily pond documents the stance that Monet must have taken when producing works like Water Lilies (fig. 44.12). For the art historian Victor Stoichita, who believes this figure to be Monet, this photograph was “the symbolic creation of an artistic confession.”[14] By revealing only his shadow in the photograph, Monet was able to “express what was intrinsic to his final paintings: the shadow of the gaze, the instigator of painting.”[15] Monet indeed left his autobiographical trace in the Chicago painting. Technical examination of Water Lilies reveals the extent to which Monet acted as the medium and interpreter of nature on this canvas. The touch of his flickering brush on the painting’s surface professes his everlasting artistic presence.10

Across the upper half, clusters of round lily pads float on calm water, with a pale flower near the upper center. More lily pads fill the right side, and a second pale flower appears near the lower right. Along the left edge, long blades of grass and small leaves extend over the water. Tones are light gray pads and white flowers against medium-gray water, with a darker, human-shaped shadow near the bottom center.

Fig. 44.12


Photograph, possibly showing Monet’s shadow on the water lily pond, usually dated around 1905. © Collection Philippe Piguet.

Jill Shaw11

Technical Summary

Claude Monet’s Water Lilies was painted on a pre-primed, non-standard-size, linen canvas. The ground is off-white and consists of two layers. It has a distinct brush-marked surface, which is only visible at the unpainted edges, since the thick buildup of paint obscures the texture of the ground. The painting was carried out in several sessions, working from a rough lay-in of the main water lily groupings and a strongly brush-marked underpainting that was broadly applied throughout the water. The individual lily pads and flowers in the foreground of the composition were painted on top of the water. It appears that the artist originally planned a more dense coverage of water lilies in the foreground area, and then later painted out or partially covered several of the plants. The painting was densely built up in a network of thick, textural strokes and low impasto, with as many as nine distinct paint layers observed in one area.[16]12

Multilayer Interactive Image Viewer

The multilayer interactive image viewer is designed to facilitate the viewer’s exploration and comparison of the technical images (fig. 44.13).[17]13

From top to bottom: narrow bands of green lily pads with white and pale purple touches stretch across the upper edge. The center is mostly open blue water with hints of violet and soft green. The lower half has scattered round green pads, denser at the bottom left, with several small pink water-lily flowers and buds. Elements are small compared to the overall scene, with open water taking up most of the space.
Natural Light
Large rectangular field in shades of gray, with horizontal bands of mottled light and dark areas across the top, middle, and bottom. Faint vertical seams divide the surface into multiple rectangular sections, and a few small white dots sit slightly right of center. Short white tick marks line the outer edges, forming a thin border on all sides.
X-Ray
Top area shows horizontal bands in dark and light gray with many small, irregular patches. The center is a broad, lighter gray zone with fewer marks, opening slightly toward the right. The bottom area contains numerous flat, round shapes and short strokes in medium to dark gray, with a few small bright-white spots and the darkest tones concentrated along the lower edge. All elements are in shades of black, white, and gray.
Infrared Reflectogram (1.0–1.1 µm)
Top section has dark blue water with long horizontal bands of green vegetation and small pale highlights. The middle area is mostly open blue water with scattered green lily pads. Near the bottom, more lily pads cluster, and a few small pink water‑lily flowers rise above the surface near the center. Colors are mainly deep blue and green with touches of pink and light yellow.
Raking Light
From top to bottom, a dark gray field shows scattered patches of light gray and white, with a broad bright horizontal band across the center. A similarly bright vertical band runs down the middle, forming a cross-like shape at the intersection, and the surrounding quadrants appear darker, especially the upper left and lower right. Colors are black, white, and shades of gray, with a thin dark border along the edges.
Transmitted Infrared (1.0–1.1 µm)
Across the top, dark blue water runs left to right with narrow clusters of small green lily pads and a few warm pink highlights. In the center, a broad area of deep blue water shows scattered pink‑orange reflections, with thin horizontal bands of pads to the right. Toward the bottom, more lily pads appear larger and denser, with several small pink spots among them, all floating on the blue surface.
Transmitted Light
Top to bottom, dark blue water fills the scene with lighter blue streaks and small clusters of green lily pads near the upper edge. Through the middle, a wide expanse of deep blue water shows scattered patches of green and teal pads. At the bottom, larger round lily pads in green and gray-green appear, with a few small pink and white blossoms; the pads and flowers are small in scale compared to the broad area of water.
Ultraviolet
Alt text for the image
Natural Light
Alt text for the image
X-Ray

Fig. 44.13

Monet’s Water Lilies (1906). The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157. Interactive image.

Signature

Signed and dated: Claude Monet 1906 (lower right, in reddish-brown paint[18]) (fig. 44.14). The painting was dry when the signature and date were applied.14

Top area shows dark blue and purple with visible texture. Across the middle from left to right, brown cursive handwriting reads “Claude Monet 1906.” Bottom left transitions from green into blue, and the right edge has a narrow off-white vertical strip with small blue‑green marks. The handwriting is large relative to the cropped frame.

Fig. 44.14


Detail of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the signature. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Structure and Technique

Support

Canvas
Flax (commonly known as linen).15

Standard format
The original dimensions were approximately 89 × 92 cm. This does not correspond to a standard-size stretcher; both dimensions do, however, correspond to standard stretcher-bar lengths.[19] The stretcher was probably custom ordered.16

Weave
Plain weave. Average thread count (standard deviation): 27.3V (0.5) × 27.4H (1.0) threads/cm; the vertical threads were determined to correspond to the warp and the horizontal threads to the weft.[20] No weave matches were found with other Monet paintings analyzed for this project.17

Canvas characteristics
There is mild cusping along the top, bottom, and right sides of the canvas and pronounced cusping along the left edge. Cusping on the top, right, and bottom edges corresponds to the placement of the original tack holes. The strong cusping on the left side does not correspond to the original tack holes and extends beyond the cut edge of the canvas in places.[21]18

Stretching
Current stretching: Dates to 1990 conservation treatment (see Conservation History). Copper tacks spaced 3–4 cm apart.19

Original stretching: Original tack holes spaced 4.5–6.5 cm apart.20

Stretcher/strainer
Current stretcher: Dates to 1990 treatment (see Conservation History). It is a tongue-and-groove, keyable, wooden stretcher with six members including vertical and horizontal crossbars. Depth: 2.8 cm.21

Original stretcher: Discarded. The pre-1974-treatment stretcher was probably the original stretcher. A 1974 photograph of the stretcher and an examination report in the conservation file record that the stretcher was a Buck type 2, consisting of six members, including a horizontal and a vertical crossbar, with keyable mortise and tenon joints. The report gives the following dimensions: height, 93 cm; width, 89 cm;[22] stretcher-bar width, 6.5 cm; outside depth, 1.5 cm; inside depth, 2 cm; distance from canvas position, 0.5 cm; length of mortise, 6.5 cm (fig. 44.15).[23]22

At the top edge, white handwritten text on a dark border reads “Monet, C. ‘Water Lilies’ 5-7-74 Stretcher,” with a small wooden block centered just above the frame. Below, the back of a large rectangular canvas in gray tones is held by light- to medium-gray wooden stretcher bars with a vertical center support and a horizontal crossbar; small paper labels and the number “6474” are on the center support. Large white chalk numerals are marked across the horizontal crossbar, and triangular wooden wedges are set into each corner. Along the bottom edge, a measuring ruler runs across the width.

Fig. 44.15


Black-and-white photograph (1974) of the back of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the previous stretcher. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Manufacturer’s/supplier’s marks
None observed in current examination or documented in previous examinations.23

Preparatory Layers

Sizing
Not determined (probably glue).[24]24

Ground application/texture
The ground layer extends to the edges of all four tacking margins, indicating that the canvas was cut from a larger piece of primed fabric, which was probably commercially prepared. The ground is relatively thick, filling up the canvas weave to some extent. Around the edges, where a border of unpainted ground from the tacking margins was incorporated into the picture plane when the lined painting was restretched onto a slightly larger stretcher (see Conservation History), the ground layer has a visibly brush-marked surface. The brush marking continues underneath the paint layer and to the cut edges of the tacking margins (fig. 44.16).[25] Cross-sectional analysis indicates that the ground consists of two layers. The lower layer ranges from approximately 20 to 100 µm in thickness. The upper layer ranges from approximately 10 to 35 µm in thickness (fig. 44.17, fig. 44.18).25

Top right shows a scale label “5.0 mm,” indicating a magnified view. From left to right, a narrow black band borders the edge, then a light beige, woven-looking surface with tiny cracks and a few darker beige spots. The right two-thirds are covered by a thick, rough area of blue‑purple with ridges and small pits, dotted with tiny specks of pink and green, meeting the beige area along an irregular vertical boundary. The purple region occupies most of the frame.
Monet 33.1157 MIC 7
Most of the frame is solid black; in the bottom-left, a rectangular view shows a pond with water in purples and blues. Across the top of this view, clusters of green lily pads with small white and pink spots appear in bands, and the center has streaks of pale green and white on the water. The lower area is mostly blue‑purple water with a few green patches. A narrow light border surrounds the pond view, and a small black square tab overlaps its left edge.
Detail Location

Fig. 44.16

Photomicrograph of the left edge of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the brushmarked ground layer. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Top edge shows a narrow horizontal white band running left to right with a few tiny dark specks. Below it, three dark brown ovals are spaced along the length, each surrounded by lighter brown, translucent, layered-looking material that curves around them. Background is dark gray, and a scale bar at the lower right labeled 100 µm suggests each oval is roughly similar in width to that scale.
Monet 33.1157 x1482_10x_dkfld_a
A small rectangular panel sits in the lower-left against a large black background. Inside the panel, blue water fills the scene with clusters of green lily pads across the top and right, and more widely spaced pads near the bottom; some pads have small pink and white flowers. A darker blue vertical area appears near the center-left, while purplish and green patches along the top edge form a denser band.
Sample Location

Fig. 44.17

Photomicrograph of a cross section of the ground and canvas layers of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906). Original magnification: 100×. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157. 

At the top, a dark gray band runs horizontally. Beneath it, a large, bright gray, irregular oval spans most of the width, filled with many small white to medium-gray pieces and scattered darker gray spots; a thin, lighter speckled strip borders its top edge, and its lower edge meets darker gray areas with cracked, block-like patterns in the bottom left and right corners. Along the bottom, white text and a black strip include a scale bar labeled 100 micrometers.
Monet 33.1157 x1482_o
Most of the frame is solid black. In the bottom left, a small square scene shows a blue pond with many green lily pads and a few pink water-lily flowers; darker blue and green areas stretch across the upper part of the water, while more lily pads spread across the lower half. A small white arrow cursor appears near the square scene’s top-right corner. The pond scene occupies only a small portion of the overall space, leaving wide black margins above and to the right.
Sample Location

Fig. 44.18

Backscattered electron (BSE) image of a cross section of the ground of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing two layers. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Color
The ground is off-white, with some dark (possibly black and red or brown) particles visible under magnification (fig. 44.19).26

Top area shows a pale gray-white surface with fine, irregular cracks; small green specks cluster near the upper-right. Center-left features an elongated, dark brown patch with jagged edges, with scattered tiny blue and green flecks across the middle and lower sections. Cracks run diagonally from lower left toward upper right, and a black scale bar labeled 1.0 mm appears in the lower-left corner, indicating most flecks are well under 0.5 mm.
Monet 33.1157 s7_bef_b
Most of the frame is solid black, with a single rectangular picture in the lower-right. Within the picture, the top edge shows a thin band of green lily pads over blue water. The center is mostly open blue water, with clusters of lily pads along the right side. Near the bottom, more lily pads spread across the water, and a few small pink flowers appear among them; the pads and flowers are small compared with the overall scene.
Detail Location

Fig. 44.19

Photomicrograph of the left edge of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the ground layer. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157

Materials/composition
Analysis indicates that the lower layer contains lead white with minor amounts of calcium sulfate and calcium carbonate (chalk), and traces of zinc white, various silicates, silica and alumina. The upper layer contains lead white with minor amounts of calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate (chalk), zinc white, and traces of iron oxide, silica, and various silicates.[26] Binder: Oil (estimated).27

Compositional Planning/Underdrawing/Painted Sketch

Extent/character
No underdrawing was observed with infrared reflectography (IRR) or microscopic examination.28

Paint Layer

Application/technique and artist’s revisions
The painting was densely worked up using thick, opaque brushstrokes. The X-ray shows that the canvas was almost completely covered by a thick buildup of relatively radio opaque brushwork (fig. 44.20). As the transmitted-light image reveals, there are only a few translucent areas near the center of the painting where the light passes through the canvas (fig. 44.21). These are areas where the ground or thin underlayers of paint were left exposed through breaks in the brushwork. Over most of the surface, however, the buildup of brushwork obscures the initial layers of painting and much of the canvas and ground textures (fig. 44.22). A small damage near the upper right corner, which seems to have occurred early on, when the paint was still somewhat soft, provides a cross-sectional view of the paint layers in that area (fig. 44.23). At the edges of the loss, one can see a complex buildup of brushstrokes consisting of at least eight or nine layers of different colors including (from bottom up): green, blue, green, purple, yellow, white, green, purple, and blue.29

Top portion shows several horizontal bands of light and dark gray streaks with clustered, irregular patches running left to right. The central area is a broad mid-gray field with scattered brighter streaks and three or four small round light spots slightly right of center; faint seams divide the surface into large rectangular panels. Lower third contains denser, swirling gray marks arranged in loose horizontal rows, with lighter smudges near the bottom edge, and narrow borders on all sides display evenly spaced short white tick marks.
X-Ray
Top edge shows thin horizontal bands of green lily pads with small white flowers across deep blue water. The middle area is mostly open blue water with a few scattered pads and soft darker patches. Bottom portion has many round green pads and several pink water lilies, clustered more densely at the lower left and becoming smaller and more spaced out toward the center and right.
Natural Light
Alt text for the image
X-Ray
Alt text for the image
Natural Light

Fig. 44.20

X-ray and natural-light images of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the buildup of the brushwork. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157. Interactive image.

Top section shows dark blue water with scattered clusters of small green lily pads, denser toward the upper right. The center has a broad area of open deep blue water with several warm gold reflections and smaller groups of pads along the right edge. The bottom is filled with many small round green lily pads, some bearing small pink blossoms, spreading left to right across the water; no other objects are present.
Transmitted Light
Top edge shows several narrow bands of green lily pads with small white flowers floating on blue water. The middle area is mostly open blue with darker patches, and a dense strip of green pads with white blooms crosses the upper right. The bottom third has scattered round green pads and a few pink flowers, with a thicker cluster at the lower left. Colors are primarily blue and purple water, bright green leaves, and touches of white and pink blossoms.
Natural Light

Fig. 44.21

Transmitted-light and natural-light images of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906). The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157. Interactive image.

Blue water fills the scene, shifting from teal at the bottom to deeper blue and purple tones toward the center. Top left holds a cluster of overlapping green lily pads with pink-white accents, while the upper right shows two smaller, separate pads. The middle area is mostly open water, and near the bottom center-right a larger oval pad with pale pink edges stands out. A narrow off-white strip lines the left edge, and a thin light band runs along the bottom.

Fig. 44.22


Detail of the lower left corner of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the buildup of the paint layers. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Top left has a mottled purple area with some dark green patches, while a broad pale green band runs diagonally from upper center to lower center. Along both sides of this band are thin, light-colored wavy edges; the right side is mostly purple with small green shapes scattered across it. The lower-left corner shows stacked bands of dark green and purple, and small purple spots and fine speckles appear across the surface; a scale bar at the bottom left reads 2.0 mm, indicating the view spans only a few millimeters.
Monet 33.1157 MIC 19
Top section shows horizontal bands of bluish purple with scattered patches of green and a few small pink and white spots. Near the upper right, a small black rectangular box overlays a bluish band. The lower half shifts to more green mixed with blue, with a loose row of small pale yellow‑green spots near the bottom; a thin off‑white strip is visible along the right edge. Single image with no people.
Detail Location

Fig. 44.23

Photomicrograph of the pond in Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the buildup of the paint layers at an area of loss. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

The thick buildup of paint makes it difficult to see how the composition was laid in, but throughout the work, where views are permitted, various shades of green paint are visible, lightly brushed directly over the ground layer. This can be seen in areas of open brushwork among the clusters of water lilies (fig. 44.24) and at the edges of the composition (fig. 44.25). In addition to these thinly applied strokes of paint, the artist also laid down some thicker, brush-marked strokes, which, despite being covered by subsequent paint layers, contribute much of the surface texture to the final painting. These strokes were broadly applied throughout the upper two-thirds of the composition (fig. 44.26, fig. 44.27). The texture of the underlying paint is often emphasized by subsequent strokes of relatively flat, solid color, which catch on and accentuate the ridges of the brushstrokes below. This is particularly evident in the areas of reflected foliage in the upper part of the water (fig. 44.28). The fact that the earlier brushstrokes were not disturbed by the later paint applications indicates that they were at least surface dry when the composition was built up.30

Figs. 44.24–44.28

Top area is mostly green with patches of yellow and some darker blue‑green. Across the center, a wide horizontal band blends blue, purple, and light gray-lavender tones. The bottom area shifts to pale blue‑gray with scattered green and purple flecks, and the surface looks ridged and uneven with wavy lines running left to right.

Fig. 44.24


Detail of the water in Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing green underlayers. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

From top left to bottom left runs a narrow beige strip, next to a dense cluster of rounded green leaves with small pink, white, purple, and red flowers that extend diagonally toward the center. The right side, covering about two-thirds of the frame, shows open blue water with lighter blue and violet patches. Flowers appear as small spots compared to the larger oval leaves, and the clustered left side contrasts with the more open, sparsely detailed right side.

Fig. 44.25


Detail of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the buildup of the paint layers. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Textured surface fills the frame in shades of blue. From top to bottom, the color shifts from medium blue with faint lavender and turquoise tints at the top, to brighter sky blue and cyan in the center, and to darker blue near the bottom. Across the surface are irregular, overlapping ridges and small bumps that create varied patterns.

Fig. 44.26


Detail of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the texture of underlying brushwork. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Top area shows dark teal and green patches that blend into lighter lavender and blue toward the middle. The center and right are mostly light purple with touches of pale blue. The lower third shifts to brighter sky blue and turquoise. No distinct objects or text are visible; it is a single field of blended color.

Fig. 44.27


Detail of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the texture of underlying brushwork. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Top and right edges show a thin beige border. Across the upper third, horizontal bands of blue and green with a few white streaks appear, with a small pink oval near the top left. The center and lower areas form a broad field of blue and purple with scattered green patches and a faint yellow‑green area near the bottom left.

Fig. 44.28


Detail of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the buildup of the brushwork. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

The groupings of water lilies in the upper part of the painting and down the right side were planned from early on. As mentioned above, these areas were painted directly over the ground layer or the thin underpainting, and in the X-ray, the paint buildup is less dense since the water was painted around the plants (fig. 44.29). The water lilies in the lower third of the painting were more haphazardly composed, with some parts built up directly over the ground or thin lay-in (fig. 44.30), and others applied on top of the thick, impasted brushwork of the water (fig. 44.31). It seems that Monet was experimenting with the degree to which the foreground surface of the water would be covered with water lilies, as some plants were later painted out of the composition while others were added in the final painting stages. The X-ray shows that this area of the composition was densely built up over a broader area, and although some of the brushwork could be related to the textural underpainting used throughout the work, distinct ovoid shapes suggest that more plants (i.e., individual water lily pads) were painted in at an earlier stage (fig. 44.32). The large grouping at the lower left edge, for example, was initially painted as a larger mass that extended further into the water at the upper right edge (fig. 44.33). Thick blue paint from the water was then applied on top to cover parts of the plants and create breaks in the grouping. Green paint from the painted-over foliage remains visible in a few places (fig. 44.34). Further to the right, where the water lilies are more dispersed, additional ovoid shapes visible in the X-ray suggest that a few more lily pads were initially painted in this area (fig. 44.35). These isolated water lilies all appear to have been painted on top of the thick, textural paint of the water after it was surface dry. Some of the plants were worked up in bright greens with some pink and red strokes, presumably related to the petals of the flowers (fig. 44.36). In one case, the lily pad was only partially painted out, such that the right edge was left exposed; the yellow flower was then added on top (fig. 44.37).31

At the top, a thin border with small evenly spaced marks encloses a field of gray tones, with a long horizontal band of light and dark gray streaks running left to right. Moving downward, the center shows multiple broken, wavy streaks and clusters of pale spots, crossed by faint seams that form a subtle 3-by-3 grid of rectangular sections. The lower half contains denser, swirling streaks and patches in medium to light gray, with no distinct figures, text, or objects.
X-Ray
Top section shows horizontal bands of green lily pads with small white and pale pink flowers. The center is mostly blue water with soft darker blue and purple areas, with a few thin rows of pads crossing left to right. Bottom and left areas hold scattered oval green pads and several pink blossoms, while the right edge has smaller clusters of pads and a few light flowers. Flowers are smaller than most pads.
Natural Light

Fig. 44.29

X-ray and natural-light images of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the buildup of the brushwork. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157. Interactive image.

Narrow beige strip along the left edge, with dense patches of dark and light green mixed with deep blue and purple. Moving right, rounded areas of pale pink, white, and light green sit within broader fields of teal and blue. The right half is mostly medium to dark blue with scattered green swirls and small touches of peach. Smaller pink and red accents appear near the lower left and center, while the cooler blues and greens cover most of the surface.

Fig. 44.30


Detail of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the buildup of the brushwork. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157. 

Top area shows deep blue with a band of purple running across and a small yellow mark near the upper left. Center holds a large oval patch of mixed greens with streaks of light pink and peach, bordered by pale teal. Bottom area has darker green wavy lines crossing over a blue background. The central green oval is the largest element, taking up most of the space while the blue surrounds it.

Fig. 44.31


Detail of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing the buildup of the brushwork. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

From top to bottom, a monochrome field of grays shows irregular horizontal bands of darker and lighter streaks. The central area contains clustered light-gray marks set within faint rectangular divisions that create a subtle grid. The lower half has denser, wavy streaks with small bright spots over mid to dark gray, and the edges are bordered by a thin dark frame marked with many short white tick marks.
X-Ray
From top to bottom, a blue pond fills the scene, with open water occupying most of the center. Along the top edge, long horizontal bands of green lily pads with small white and yellow blossoms appear; in the lower left and across the bottom, scattered round green pads and several pink flowers are visible, with a denser cluster at the lower left. The pads are small compared with the broad field of water, and darker patches lie across the surface.
Natural Light
Alt text for the image
X-Ray
Alt text for the image
Natural Light

Fig. 44.32

X-ray and natural-light images of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing changes made during the painting process. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157. Interactive image.

Across the top, bands of light and dark gray horizontal streaks run left to right. Near the center, a lighter patchy area sits within faint rectangular panel seams that form a grid; slightly right of center are four small white circles arranged in a loose square. The lower half contains denser, wavy streaks and swirls in medium to dark gray that also follow horizontal lines. A thin border with small tick marks frames all sides.
X-Ray
Top area has horizontal bands of green lily pads with small white and yellow touches floating on blue water. The center is mostly open water in shades of blue and purple with faint, soft shapes beneath the surface. Bottom and lower left show denser clusters of small to medium round green pads with several small pink blossoms, while a few pads and blossoms are scattered toward the lower right.
Natural Light

Fig. 44.33

X-ray and natural-light details of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing changes made during the painting process. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157. Interactive image.

Top area shows deep blue with several medium-sized green patches and small peach and yellow marks. Moving toward the center and right, more green shapes appear, some edged with light pink, set against blue and purple tones. The bottom area remains blue with lighter blue and teal areas, dotted with smaller green and peach marks.

Fig. 44.34


Detail of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing a painted-over plant. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

A large rectangular surface in shades of gray shows broad, mostly horizontal streaks and cloudy patches. From top to bottom, the upper area is lighter with thin horizontal bands; the middle has a faint 3-by-3 grid of rectangular sections and four small white dots near the center; the lower area is darker with denser, wavy horizontal marks. A thin dark border surrounds the edges with short light dashes along it.
X-Ray
Top section shows a blue water surface with horizontal bands of green lily pads and small white accents. Moving downward, an open area of blue shifts into patches of darker blue and purple. Bottom and left edges contain denser clusters of round green lily pads with several small pink blossoms; the pads are small to medium in size, separated by gaps of blue water.
Natural Light
Alt text for the image
X-Ray
Alt text for the image
Natural Light

Fig. 44.35

X-ray and natural-light details of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing painted-over water lilies. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157. Interactive image.

Top area has broad bands of light and medium green with small touches of pale pink and cream. The center is dominated by a large, roughly oval patch of deep blue with scattered marks of green and lighter blue. On the left edge is a tight cluster of dark green, orange, and a small bright purple patch, while the bottom shows more blue with a small dark spot edged in yellow and green near the lower center. Colors form thick, raised ridges that create visible texture across the surface.

Fig. 44.36


Detail of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing a painted-over water lily. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Left to right: a blue-violet field with curved ridges of color. On the left, a small light yellow‑green patch sits beside a darker green streak; toward the right‑center, a much larger oval area of pale green with peach‑tan accents forms a broad swirl, with a tiny bright white speck near its upper edge. In the upper right corner, a smaller dark green patch sits partly off the edge; the central oval is the largest element, roughly four times the size of the left patch.

Fig. 44.37


Detail of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing a partially painted-over lily pad. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

The water lilies were built up in multiple, superimposed strokes of thick paint applied using both wet-on-wet and wet-over-dry layering, which indicates that the painting was carried out in multiple sessions (fig. 44.38). Where brushstrokes were drawn through wet paint, there is no blending and each stroke retains its distinct form (fig. 44.39). The artist varied the consistency of his paints, using stiffer paint to create thick impasto (fig. 44.40) and soft peaks (fig. 44.41, fig. 44.42), and more fluid applications where colors have swirled together and settled to a smoother surface (fig. 44.43, fig. 44.44). For the flowers, the artist used touches of brilliant color (fig. 44.45) and sometimes picked up multiple unmixed colors on his brush (fig. 44.46, fig. 44.47). There are areas of flattened paint around the edges, suggesting that the work was framed when the paint was still soft. In one area on the left edge, a thick stroke of impasto was squashed when the paint was still wet (fig. 44.48).32

Top area shows broad swirls of green and yellow with teal and light blue, plus a small bright magenta spot near the upper right. Through the center, darker blue and green dominate with scattered purple streaks, and a light ring-like swirl slightly left of center edged in white and lavender. Toward the bottom, deep blue and turquoise mix with smaller patches of green, pink, and peach, with thicker raised ridges and small flecks of white.

Fig. 44.38


Detail of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing an area that includes both wet-over-dry and wet-in-wet paint applications. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Upper area contains thick, ridged swirls in pale peach, tan, and white, with a band of blue along the top left. From the center to the right, patches of orange and rust appear between the lighter colors. Lower area shows darker orange with bright purple and green streaks near the right edge. Bottom left includes a black scale bar labeled 5.0 mm.
Monet 33.1157 MIC 17
Most of the frame is solid black. In the lower-right corner, a small rectangular scene shows blue water with scattered green lily pads and several small pink water-lily blossoms; one light pink flower near the center-right is outlined by a thin black square. Orange-red cursive text appears along the bottom-right edge of this rectangle.
Detail Location

Fig. 44.39

Photomicrograph of a flower in Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing wet-on-wet brushwork. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Top half is mostly deep blue with hints of purple, with a small irregular green patch near the upper left-center. On that green patch are clustered shapes in light yellow and cream. Lower center shows a smaller oval of light yellow and cream on a pale yellow area against more blue. Blue continues across the right side with visible ridges and swirls, and the yellow details are the only bright accents.

Fig. 44.40


Detail of a flower in Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing thick impasto. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

From left to right, a mostly blue field shows variations of medium and dark blue with touches of teal. Slightly left of center, a small irregular oval of color mixes light pink and cream on top with purple, red-orange, and green toward the lower area. Near the right edge, a smaller oval shape appears in pale green and yellow against the blue.

Fig. 44.41


Detail of a flower in Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing thick impasto. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Top section shows a dark green and teal area with small pale spots. Across the middle, thick, wavy ridges and grooves appear in white, cream, tan, and pale purple, with several fine cracks and a few small pits. The bottom continues with lighter tones and streaks of orange and purple. A black bar labeled “5.0 mm” sits in the lower left corner.
Monet 33.1157 MIC 12
Most of the frame is solid black. In the bottom-right quarter, a smaller rectangular scene shows blue water with clusters of green lily pads and pink and white water lilies, denser on the left and thinning toward the right where more open water appears. A thin beige strip runs along the left edge of this scene, and a small black square near the center-left sits over a green pad with a light pink bloom.
Detail Location

Fig. 44.42

Photomicrograph of a flower in Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing thick impasto. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Top edge has a thin band of light purple with a broad green area beneath it. In the center, a large curved mass of bright orange-red with darker maroon patches crosses the frame, showing pronounced ridges and small cracks, overlapping pale lavender and white areas toward the bottom. A black scale bar labeled 5.0 mm appears at the bottom left.
Monet 33.1157 MIC 8
A large black background fills most of the frame; in the lower-right quarter, a small rectangular scene shows purple-blue water with scattered green leaves and small pink and white blossoms. Along the top edge of this scene is a horizontal band of darker green vegetation with light blue streaks. Near the lower-left area of the scene, a tiny black-outlined square sits over a red-and-green spot.
Detail Location

Fig. 44.43

Photomicrograph of a flower in Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing fluid paint application. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Top area shows a mottled band of light blue, white, and pale purple. Across the center from left to right runs a broad, curved band with alternating bright and dark green stripes, set against a blue‑purple background. Several very thin, dark lines cross the green band, and a scale marker reading “5.0 mm” appears at the bottom left.
Monet 33.1157 MIC 13
Top and left areas are solid black, filling most of the frame. In the lower right, a small rectangular scene shows blue water with scattered green lily pads and several pink flowers of small to medium size spread left to right. Near the bottom left of this scene, a small black square frames one light green pad, and faint reddish text sits at the far bottom right.
Detail Location

Fig. 44.44

Photomicrograph of a lily pad in Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing fluid paint application. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Top area shows cream and tan with a bit of green in thick, uneven ridges. The center is a broad band of red and orange with patches of brown and light purple that merge together. Bottom section is mostly purple with curved ridges and small dark spots. A black scale bar labeled 5.0 mm sits at the lower left.
Monet 33.1157 MIC 11
A mostly black field fills the top and left, with a rectangular scene occupying about the lower-right quarter. In that scene, blue water stretches across the frame, dotted left-to-right with clusters of green lily pads and pink to purple flowers; a narrow beige strip lines the far left edge. Near the lower-left of the scene, a small black square outlines a single pink flower that appears larger than nearby blossoms.
Detail location

Fig. 44.45

Photomicrograph of a flower in Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing bright red and purple hues. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Top area shows blue-green with pale gray and lavender swirls; at the top right sits a thin black bar labeled “2.0 mm.” In the center, a rounded cluster of curving bands in orange, purple, and peach is bordered by white and dark accents. Surrounding regions are deep blue and violet with scattered bright green patches, thicker toward the bottom and lower left. The central multicolored shape rests against this blue-violet field with green flecks.
Monet 33.1157 MIC 23
From top to bottom: horizontal bands of blue and green water fill the scene, with a small black rectangle enclosing a pink oval near the upper center. The middle area shows mostly blue‑purple water with scattered white streaks and patches of green. Along the lower third, clusters of small green leaves with white and pale pink blossoms float in a line, the flowers small compared with the broad stretches of water.
Detail Location

Fig. 44.46

Photomicrograph of a flower in Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing unmixed colors. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Top area is dark blue with a small yellow spot near the upper left-center and a band of light purple across the upper right. Across the middle, an oval cluster of greens with pale pink and peach bands extends from left-center toward the right, occupying roughly one-third of the scene. Near the bottom, a wavy dark green stripe runs horizontally over a deep blue background.

Fig. 44.47


Detail of a lily pad in Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing brushstrokes of unmixed colors. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Top center and right show thick, smooth swirls in pale cream and pink with brown and fine purple lines. Left edge has rough blue and violet speckling, while the middle and lower right contain chunky off-white ridges and bright orange-red mounds with small teal-green patches. Bottom left includes a black scale bar labeled 5.0 mm.
Monet 33.1157 MIC 10
Top and left portions are solid black. In the lower-right quadrant, a large blue area contains clusters of green oval pads with pink and white flowers, densest along the left edge and more sparse toward the right. A thin beige vertical strip borders the left side of the blue area, and a small black square sits near the upper-left of this section.
Detail Location

Fig. 44.48

Photomicrograph from the left edge of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) showing an area of flattened paint. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Painting tools
Brushes, including 1.0 and 1.5 cm width, flat ferrule (based on width and shape of brushstrokes). Several coarse brush hairs are embedded in the paint layer.33

Palette
Analysis indicates the presence of the following pigments: lead white, cadmium yellow, chrome yellow, vermilion, red lake, viridian, malachite, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, and cobalt violet.[27]34

Binding media
Oil (estimated).[28]35

Surface Finish

Varnish layer/media
In 1990, the synthetic varnish layers applied in 1974 were removed; traces of residual varnish were retained in places, however, and a thin retouching varnish was rubbed in locally where blanching had occurred (see Conservation History). Overall, the paint surface has a soft sheen with subtle variations from low gloss to matte depending on the qualities of the paint.36

Conservation History

In 1956, the painting was described as unvarnished and a surface coating was recommended.[29] The pre-1974-treatment-notes mention the presence of a thin, natural-resin varnish, which suggests that varnish was applied some time between 1956 and 1974; the 1974 treatment report mentions only grime removal, however, creating some uncertainty as to the presence of a varnish layer prior to 1974.[30]37

In 1974, surface grime was removed. The canvas was wax-resin lined and restretched on an ICA spring stretcher. A layer of polyvinyl acetate (PVA) AYAA was applied. Inpainting was carried out. A layer of methacrylate resin L-46 was applied, followed by a final layer of AYAA.[31]38

In 1990, the synthetic varnish layers were partially removed; a residual trace of varnish was retained because complete removal resulted in blanching of the paint surface. Some blanching formed in the paint interstices in an area approximately five inches in diameter located in the upper left quadrant. Attempts to remove the blanched material were ineffective, so a thin retouching varnish was rubbed into the areas of blanching. The painting was removed from the ICA spring stretcher and remounted on a keyed tongue and groove stretcher prepared with a loose lining fabric.[32]39

Condition Summary

The painting is in good condition. It is wax-resin lined and loose lined. The canvas is stretched taut, and there are no planar deformations. The tacking edges are moderately worn, especially around the original tack holes, and there is some loss and abrasion of the ground layer, especially along the original foldovers. There are old paper and glue residues on the edges. The paint layer is in good condition. There are a few very small paint losses, including a series of roughly circular losses of paint and ground at intervals along the bottom edge. There are also some localized areas of interlayer cleavage. Some areas of crushed impasto are probably due to the lining procedure, but for the most part the impasto remains intact. There are fine cracks throughout the work, especially spanning thick brushstrokes, as well as stretcher-bar cracks, which are especially prominent in the area of the original vertical crossbar. Some of the cracks have slightly raised edges, but the paint layer is secure. There are some starch-paste residues from the lining procedure in the recesses of the paint texture and facing-paper residues in the upper left corner. There are remnants of old retouching around the edges, although this was mainly removed in the 1990 cleaning. The painting is currently unvarnished.

Kimberley Muir40

Frame

Current frame (installed 2008): The frame is not original to the painting. It is a reproduction of a French (Parisian), late-nineteenth-century, architrave frame with cast imbricated and centered laurel-leaf ornament with acanthus-leaf miters. The frame was modeled on a Monet frame from 1881. This frame type also appears in studio photographs framing other water lily paintings. The frame is water gilded over red bole on gesso and cast plaster ornament. The sight molding is burnished, with selective burnishing on the laurel leaf ornament, all other gilding is matte. The gilding is lightly toned and has a glue size. The jelutong-wood molding is mitered and nailed. The molding, from perimeter to interior, is cove; fillet; torus with cast imbricated and centered laurel-leaf ornament with acanthus-leaf miters; fillet; and cove (fig. 44.49).[33]41

Top section shows blue water with long horizontal bands of green lily pads. Through the middle, an open expanse of blue shifts to darker blue with scattered small clusters of green pads, especially along the right edge. Bottom section is densely dotted with small round green lily pads and several pink water-lily blossoms, mostly toward the center and right. A thick ornate gold frame surrounds the scene.

Fig. 44.49


Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) in its current frame. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1157.

Previous frame (installed 1991; removed 2008): The work was previously housed in an American, carved reproduction of a French, late-nineteenth-century, architrave frame with a centered guilloche ornament (APF Inc., New York, 1991) (fig. 44.50).[34]42

Along a brown gallery wall, five square paintings in gold frames hang left to right, each showing water with green lily pads rendered in blue, green, purple, and small touches of pink and white; small gray labels sit between them. In the foreground, a long wooden bench rests on a light-brown herringbone wood floor, centered beneath the row. The upper wall and ceiling are dark, and a thin low barrier rail runs along the wall.

Fig. 44.50


Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) in a previous frame, installed in Claude Monet, 1840–1926, Art Institute of Chicago, July 22–Nov. 26, 1995. Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago.

Previous frame (installed by 1975; removed 1991): The work was previously housed in an American, mid-twentieth-century, L-shaped, narrow frame with a gilded face on a mahogany molding with exposed splines at the miters. The frame may be a design by James L. Speyer (fig. 44.51).[35]43

On a tan gallery wall, three framed paintings hang in a row, with a thin barrier line along the floor. From left to right: a medium square painting shows blue-purple water with many green lily pads and small white and pink flowers; a larger square in the center shows blue water with clusters of green lily pads, several white and pink flowers, and vertical green reflections; a smaller vertical rectangle on the right shows tall yellow irises with long green leaves against a blue and white background. The center piece is the largest, the left is medium-sized, and the right is the smallest, each with a dark label beside it.

Fig. 44.51


Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) in a previous frame, installed in Paintings by Monet, Art Institute of Chicago, Mar. 15–May 11, 1975. Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago.

Kirk Vuillemot44

Sold by the artist to Durand-Ruel, Paris (3/4 interest), and Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (1/4 interest), June 3, 1909, for 14,000 francs.[36]45

Sold by Durand-Ruel, Paris, to Henri Bernstein, Paris, May 29, 1909, for 20,000 francs.[37]46

Sold by Henri Bernstein, Paris, to Durand-Ruel, Paris, Aug. 9, 1909, for 20,000 francs.[38]47

On deposit from Durand-Ruel, Paris, to Durand-Ruel, New York, Apr. 1911.[39]48

Sold by Durand-Ruel, Paris, to Durand-Ruel, New York, Feb. 10, 1914.[40]49

Sold by Durand-Ruel, New York, to Martin A. Ryerson, Chicago, Feb. 10, 1914, for $5,000.[41]50

Bequeathed by Martin A. Ryerson (died 1932), Chicago, to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.51

Paris, Galeries Durand-Ruel, Les nymphéas: Séries de paysages d’eau par Claude Monet, May 6–June 5, 1909, cat. 15, as Série 1906.[42]52

Saint Louis, Noonan-Kocian Gallery, Tableaux Durand-Ruel (circuit exhibition, held Oct. 1911–Jan. 1912); Chicago, Auditorium Hotel; Cincinnati, no cat. no.[43]53

Toledo (Ohio) Museum of Art, Paintings by French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, Nov. 7–Dec. 12, 1937, cat. 16 (ill.).54

Bloomington, Ill., Scottish Rite Temple, Central Illinois Art Exposition, Mar. 19–Apr. 8, 1939, cat. 26.55

Chicago, Arts Club of Chicago, Origins of Modern Art, Apr. 2–30, 1940, cat. 63.56

Sioux City (Iowa) Art Center, Three Old Masters from Art Institute of Chicago, Sept. 4–end Sept. 1949, no cat.[44]57

Pittsburgh, Carnegie Institute, An Experimental Gallery Featuring the Art Historical Background to Impressionism, Oct. 12, 1953–Mar. 31, 1954, no cat.[45]58

Wichita (Kans.) Art Museum, Three Centuries of French Painting, May 9–23, 1954, cat. 17.59

University of Chicago, Renaissance Society, Painters in Color, Oct. 14–Nov. 14, 1956, no cat.[46]60

Art Institute of Chicago, The Paintings of Claude Monet, Apr. 1–June 15, 1957, no cat. no.[47]61

Art Institute of Chicago, Paintings by Monet, Mar. 15–May 11, 1975, cat. 110 (ill.). (fig. 44.52)62

On a beige gallery wall, three framed works hang left to right; the center piece is the largest square, the left one a slightly smaller square, and the right one a smaller vertical rectangle. Left piece: a blue‑purple pond with scattered green lily pads and small white and pink flowers. Center piece: a broader view of blue and purple water with many green lily pads, clusters of white and pink flowers, and vertical green reflections. Right piece: tall yellow irises with green leaves set against a blue‑purple background.

Fig. 44.52


Albi, Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, Trésors impressionnistes du Musée de Chicago, June 27–Aug. 31, 1980, cat. 15 (ill.).63

Highland Park, Ill., Neison Harris, July 12–Dec. 19, 1984, no cat.[48]64

Tokyo, Seibu Museum of Art, Shikago bijutsukan insho-ha ten [The impressionist tradition: Masterpieces from the Art Institute of Chicago], Oct. 18–Dec. 17, 1985, cat. 64 (ill.); Fukuoka Art Museum, Jan. 5–Feb. 2, 1986; Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Mar. 4–Apr. 13, 1986.65

Basel, Kunstmuseum Basel, Claude Monet: Nymphéas, July 20–Oct. 19, 1986, cat. 22 (ill.).66

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago’s Dream, a World’s Treasure: The Art Institute of Chicago 1893–1993, Nov. 1–Jan. 9, 1994, no cat. no.[49]67

Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, Claude Monet 1840–1926, July 22–Nov. 26, 1995, cat. 130 (ill.). (fig. 44.53)68

In a gallery room, six medium-size, gold-framed pictures hang left to right across two brown walls that meet at a corner, each with a small gray label. From left to right, each picture shows a water surface in blue, green, and purple tones with clusters of light green lily pads and pale reflections; the hues vary, with some images more blue and others more green. A long, low wooden bench sits in the foreground on a light brown herringbone floor, and a thin barrier line runs along the lower walls beneath the pictures.

Fig. 44.53


Installation of Monet’s Water Lilies (1906) in Claude Monet, 1840–1926, Art Institute of Chicago, July 22–Nov. 26, 1995. Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago.

Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Monet in the 20th Century, Sept. 20–Dec. 27, 1998, cat. 32 (ill.); London, Royal Academy of Arts, Jan. 23–Apr. 18, 1999.69

Paris, Musée National de l’Orangerie, Monet: Le cycle des Nymphéas, May 6–Aug. 2, 1999, cat. 15 (ill.).70

Fort Worth, Tex., Kimbell Art Museum, The Impressionists: Master Paintings from the Art Institute of Chicago, June 29–Nov. 2, 2008, cat. 91 (ill.).71

Galeries Durand-Ruel, Les nymphéas, séries de paysages d’eau par Claude Monet, exh. cat. (Galeries Durand-Ruel, 1909), cat. 15.[50]72

Art Institute of Chicago, A Guide to the Paintings in the Permanent Collection (Art Institute of Chicago, 1925), p. 162, cat. 2139.[51]73

Gustave Geffroy, “Claude Monet,” L’art et les artistes 2, 11 (Nov. 1920), p. 73 (ill.).74

M. C., “Monets in the Art Institute,” Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago 19, 2 (Feb. 1925), p. 20.75

Daniel Catton Rich, “Französische Impressionisten im Art Institute zu Chicago,” Pantheon: Monatsschrift für freunde und sammler der kunst 11, 3 (Mar. 1933), p. 77. Translated by C. C. H. Drechsel as “French Impressionists in the Art Institute of Chicago,” Pantheon/Cicerone (Mar. 1933), p. 18.76

Toledo Museum of Art, Catalogue: Paintings by French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists (Toledo Museum of Art, 1937), cat. 16 (ill.).77

George Slocombe, “Giver of Light,” Coronet (Mar. 1938), p. 26 (ill.).78

Scottish Rite Temple, Central Illinois Art Exposition, exh. cat. (Scottish Rite Temple, 1939), p. 13, cat. 26.79

Arts Club of Chicago, Origins of Modern Art, exh. cat. (Arts Club of Chicago, 1940), p. 15, cat. 63.80

Oscar Reuterswärd, Monet: En konstnärshistorik (Bonniers, 1948), p. 288.81

Wichita Art Museum, Three Centuries of French Painting, exh cat. (Wichita Art Museum, 1954), p. 3, cat. 17.82

Art Institute of Chicago, “Catalogue,” Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly 51, 2 (Apr. 1, 1957), p. 34.83

Art Institute of Chicago, Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago: A Catalogue of the Picture Collection (Art Institute of Chicago, 1961), p. 322.[52]84

A. James Speyer, “Twentieth-Century European Paintings and Sculpture,” Apollo 84, no. 55 (Sept. 1966), p. 222.85

Denis Rouart and Jean-Dominique Rey, Monet, nymphéas, ou Les miroirs du temps, with a cat. rais. by Robert Maillard (Hazan, 1972), p. 159 (ill.). Translated by David RadzinowiczasMonet, Water Lilies: The Complete Series, rev. ed., with a cat. rais. by Julie Rouart with Camille Sourisse (Flammarion/Rizzoli, 2008), p. 124 (ill.).86

Grace Seiberling, “The Evolution of an Impressionist,” in Paintings by Monet, ed. Susan Wise, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago, 1975), pp. 37, 38.87

Susan Wise, ed., Paintings by Monet, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago, 1975), p. 167, cat. 110 (ill.).88

Grace Seiberling, Monet’s Series (Garland, 1981), pp. 228; 407, no. 33; fig. 33.89

A. James Speyer and Courtney Graham Donnell, Twentieth-Century European Paintings (University of Chicago Press, 1980), p. 59, cat. 3B3; microfiche 3, no. B3 (ill.).90

Musée Toulouse-Lautrec and Art Institute of Chicago, Trésors impressionnistes du Musée de Chicago, exh. cat. (Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, 1980), p. 35, no. 15 (ill.); 67.91

Art Institute of Chicago, Seibu Museum of Art, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, and Fukuoka Art Museum, eds., Shikago bijutsukan insho-ha ten [The Impressionist tradition: Masterpieces from the Art Institute of Chicago], exh. cat. (Nippon Television Network, 1985), pp. 126, cat. 64 (ill.); 127 (detail); 161.92

Charles F. Stuckey, ed., Monet: A Retrospective (Hugh Lauter Levin, 1985), pp. 255; 263, pl. 103.93

Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 4, Peintures, 1899–1926 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1985), pp. 214; 215, cat. 1683 (ill.); 376, letters 1885, 1887, 1888, 1890, 1891; 377, letter 1897; 429, piéces justificative 213, 215.94

Christian Geelhaar, et al., Claude Monet: Nymphéas, Impression, Vision, exh. cat. (Kunstmuseum Basel, 1986), pp. 52, cat. 22 (ill.); 173.95

Richard R. Brettell, Post-Impressionists (Art Institute of Chicago/Abrams, 1987), pp. 111; 115 (ill.); 118. 96

Charles F. Stuckey, Monet, Water Lilies (Hugh Lauter Levin, 1988), p. 37, pl. 12.97

Andrew Forge, Monet, Artists in Focus (Art Institute of Chicago, 1995), pp. 63 (detail); 65; 102, pl. 31; 109.98

Charles F. Stuckey, with the assistance of Sophia Shaw, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Thames & Hudson, 1995), pp. 152, cat. 130 (ill.); 241; 243.99

Paul Hayes Tucker, “Passion and Patriotism in Monet’s Late Work,” in New Orleans Museum of Art and Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Monet: Late Paintings of Giverny from the Musée Marmottan, exh. cat. (New Orleans Museum of Art/Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco/Abrams, 1995), pp. 37, fig. 10; 40.100

Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, or The Triumph of Impressionism, cat. rais., vol. 1 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 358, cat. 1683 (ill.).101

Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 4, Nos. 1596–1983 et les grandes décorations (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 764, cat. 1638 (ill.); 765.102

James N. Wood and Teri J. Edelstein, The Art Institute of Chicago: Twentieth-Century Painting and Sculpture (Art Institute of Chicago, 1996), p. 11 (ill.).103

Lynn Gamwell, “Arcadian Impulses in Avant-Garde Art,” in Donald Kuspit and Lynn Gamwell, Health and Happiness in 20th-Century Avant-Garde Art, exh. cat. (Cornell University Press/Binghamton University Art Museum, State University of New York, 1996), pp. 52; 55, fig. 37.104

Donald Kuspit, “Happiness, Health, and Related Anomalies of Avant-Garde Art,” in Donald Kuspit and Lynn Gamwell, Health and Happiness in 20th-Century Avant-Garde Art, exh. cat. (Cornell University Press/Binghamton University Art Museum, State University of New York, 1996), p. 44.105

Genevieve Morgan, ed., Monet: The Artist Speaks (Collins, 1996), pp. 81 (ill.), 95.106

Meyer Schapiro, Impressionism: Reflections and Perceptions (Braziller, 1997), pp. 198–99, fig. 98; 220.107

Victor I. Stoichita, A Short History of the Shadow (Reaktion, 1997), pp. 107–08, ill. 36; 109; 208108

Warren Adelson, “In the Modernist Camp,” in Sargent Abroad: Figures and Landscapes, by Warren Adelson, Donna Seldin Janis, Elaine Kilmurray, Richard Ormond, and Elizabeth Oustinoff (Abbeville, 1997), pp. 28; 29, pl. 16; 39.109

Richard Ormond, “In the Alps,” in Warren Adelson, Donna Seldin Janis, Elaine Kilmurray, Richard Ormond, and Elizabeth Oustinoff, Sargent Abroad: Figures and Landscapes (Abbeville, 1997), p. 100.110

Vivian Russell, Monet’s Water Lilies (Little, Brown/Frances Lincoln, 1998), pp. 64–65 (ill.), 93.111

George T. M. Shackelford and MaryAnne Stevens, “Water Lilies (Series of Water Landscapes), 1903–1909,” in Paul Hayes Tucker, with George T. M. Shackelford and MaryAnne Stevens, Monet in the 20th Century, exh. cat. (Royal Academy of Arts, London/Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1998), pp. 148; 158 (detail); 159, cat. 32 (ill.).112

Paul Hayes Tucker, “The Revolution in the Garden: Monet in the Twentieth Century,” in Paul Hayes Tucker, with George T. M. Shackelford and MaryAnne Stevens, Monet in the 20th Century, exh. cat. (Royal Academy of Arts, London/Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1998), pp. 44–45.113

Connaissance des Arts and Pierre Georgel, “Monet: L’art de la métaphore,” Connaissance des arts 561 (May 1999), pp. 44–45, fig. 2.114

“Monet, les nymphéas: L’exposition,” special issue, Connaissance des arts, 137 (Société Française de Promotion Artistique, 1999), pp. 14–15, ill. 13.115

Pierre Geogel, with the assistance of Chantal Georgel and Jacqueline Séjourné, Monet: Le cycle des Nymphéas, Catalogue sommaire, exh. cat. (Musée National de l’Orangerie/Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1999), pp. 38; 92, cat. 15 (ill.).116

Art Institute of Chicago, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in the Art Institute of Chicago, selected by James N. Wood (Art Institute of Chicago/Hudson Hills, 2000), p. 163 (ill.).117

Debra N. Mancoff, Monet’s Garden in Art (Viking Studio, 2001), pp. 60 (detail), 66–67 (detail), 143.118

Karin Sagner-Düchting, “Monet’s Late Work from the Vantage Point of Modernism,” in Monet and Modernism, ed. Karin Sagner-Düchting, exh. cat. (Prestel, 2001), p. 25.119

Karin Sagner-Düchting, “The Waterlilies in Giverny and the Grande Décoration,” in Monet and Modernism, ed. Karin Sagner-Düchting, exh. cat. (Prestel, 2001), pp. 68, 76 (ill.).120

James Tanaka, Daniel Weiskopf, and Pepper Williams, “The Role of Color in High-Level Vision,” TRENDS in Cognitive Sciences 5, 5 (May 2001), p. 213, fig. 1.121

Sothebys, New York, Impressionist and Modern Art, Part One, sale cat. (Sotheby’s, Nov. 5, 2002), pp. 45, fig. 3; 46.122

Debra N. Mancoff, Monet: Nature into Art (Publications International, 2003), pp. 103, 111 (ill.).123

Lisa Stein, “Seeing Beyond the Must-Sees,” Chicago Tribune, Apr. 18, 2003, section 7, p. 1 (ill.).124

Art Institute of Chicago, The Essential Guide,rev. ed., selected by James N. Wood (Art Institute of Chicago, 2003), p. 246 (ill.)125

Margaret Werth, “‘A Long Entwined Effort’: Colonizing Giverny,” in Impressionist Giverny: A Colony of Artists, 1885–1915, ed. Katherine M. Bourguignon, exh. cat. (Terra Foundation for American Art/Musée d’Art Américain Giverny/University of Chicago Press, 2007), p. 70, fig. 13.126

Eric M. Zafran, “Monet in America,” in Wildenstein and Co., Claude Monet (1840–1926): A Tribute to Daniel Wildenstein and Katia Granoff, exh. cat. (Wildenstein, 2007), p. 113.127

Gloria Groom and Douglas Druick, with the assistance of Dorota Chudzicka and Jill Shaw, The Impressionists: Master Paintings from the Art Institute of Chicago, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Kimbell Art Museum, 2008), pp. 161; 163; 174–75, cat. 91 (ill.). Simultaneously published as Gloria Groom and Douglas Druick, with the assistance of Dorota Chudzicka and Jill Shaw, The Age of Impressionism at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press, 2008), pp. 161; 163; 174–75, cat. 91 (ill.).[53]128

Art Institute of Chicago, The Essential Guide (Art Institute of Chicago, 2009), p. 232 (ill.).129

Archival Documentation from the Durand-Ruel Archives

Inventory number
Stock Durand-Ruel Paris 9082, Durand-Ruel, Paris, stock book 1901–13[54]130

Inventory number
Stock Durand-Ruel Paris 9134, Durand-Ruel, Paris, stock book 1901–13[55]131

Inventory number
Deposit Durand-Ruel New York 7606, Durand-Ruel, New York deposit book 1894–1925[56]132

Inventory number
Stock Durand-Ruel New York 3768, Durand-Ruel, New York, stock book 1904–1924[57]133

Photograph number
Photo Durand-Ruel, Paris no. 6474[58]134

Other Documents

Label (fig. 44.54)[59]135

Small pink rectangular label with serrated edges sits on a dark blue background. From top to bottom, black handwriting reads: “Monet No. 3768” on the first line, “Les nymphéas” on the second line, and “paysage d’eau 1906” on the third line. The writing spans most of the label’s width, with a small round hole near the upper right and a darker ink blot near the upper center.

Fig. 44.54


Label (fig. 44.55)[60]136

A brown rectangular label is centered on a deep blue background. From top to bottom, dark handwritten French text appears in three lines: “Cl. Monet n° 9134,” “Les nymphéas,” and “paysage d’eau, 1906.”

Fig. 44.55


Inscription (fig. 44.56)[61]137

Top half shows a light gray, vertically textured surface with a darker gray strip along the far left edge. Across the center from left to right are four large black numbers: 6, 4, 7, 4. A faint dark gray horizontal line runs beneath the numbers, spanning most of the width. All elements are in shades of gray.

Fig. 44.56


Inscription (fig. 44.57)[62]138

Top to bottom, a uniform dark gray surface is covered with many thin vertical lines that run the full height. Left to right, the tone stays consistent with small, irregular darker patches scattered across the area. The lines are fine and closely spaced. No distinct objects, text, or people are visible.

Fig. 44.57


Inscription (fig. 44.58)[63]139

Dark gray surface with vertical, closely spaced lines fills the frame. Across the upper-middle area are faint, uneven darker marks whose shapes are not clearly readable. Near the bottom center, a light gray rectangular strip runs horizontally, narrower than the full width and occupying a small portion of the height.

Fig. 44.58


Inscription (fig. 44.59)[64]140

Purchase receipt, Feb. 10, 1914141

Dark gray background with closely spaced vertical lines fills the frame. From left to right across the center, faint darker marks appear as unclear shapes that are not legible. Near the bottom edge, a narrow light gray horizontal rectangle spans much of the width; the entire scene is in shades of gray.

Fig. 44.59


Labels and Inscriptions

Undated

Number
Location: lining canvas
Method: handwritten script
Content: 1933.1157 (fig. 44.60)142

Top section shows a narrow brown wooden bar running horizontally. Across the center, a beige textured strip has black handwritten numbers “1933” and “1157,” with a small copper-colored round tack overlapping part of the second digit and a faint vertical crease between the two number groups. The bottom section is a darker brown wood surface, with a thin white cord curving along the lower left corner.

Fig. 44.60


Inscription
Location: frame
Method: handwritten script
Content: TOP (fig. 44.61)143

Top area shows a horizontal brown strip with visible grain. Near the lower edge of this strip, three small black letters read “top,” arranged left to right. A beige band occupies the bottom portion of the frame.

Fig. 44.61


Pre-1980

Label
Location: pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); preserved in conservation file
Method: handwritten script
Content: Cl. Monet no 9134 / Les nymphéas / paysage d’eau, 1906. (fig. 44.62)144

Centered on a dark blue background, a rectangular brown piece shows dark gray-black handwritten French text. Top line reads “Cl. Monet no 9134,” the middle line reads “Les nymphéas,” and the bottom line reads “paysage d’eau, 1906.” The writing runs left to right across the piece, which has slightly worn edges.

Fig. 44.62


Label
Location: pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); preserved in conservation file
Method: printed label with handwritten script
Content: Monet No. 3768 / Les nymphéas / paysage d’eau 1906 (fig. 44.63)145

Rectangular pink label with perforated edges on a dark blue background. From top to bottom, handwritten black text reads: “Monet No. 3768” on the first line, “Les nymphéas” on the second line, and “paysage d’eau 1906” on the third line. Two faint horizontal guide lines run across the label, and a small pinhole is visible near the top center.

Fig. 44.63


Label
Location: pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); preserved in conservation file
Method: handwritten script on label with red border
Content: 1827 / 1 (fig. 44.64)146

At the top, a small missing area cuts into a cream rectangular panel with clipped corners and a thick red border. Across the upper half, gray pencil writing reads “1827,” with a faint horizontal line drawn through the middle. Below the line, a single “1” sits near the bottom center. The panel rests on a dark blue background, and the edges show minor scuffs.

Fig. 44.64


Number
Location: pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); 1974 photograph in conservation file
Method: handwritten script
Content: 6474 (fig. 44.65)147

Left to right, large handwritten numbers “6 4 7 4” appear in dark gray to black on a textured gray background. A faint horizontal underline runs beneath the digits across most of the width. The background shows vertical striations, with slightly darker vertical bands along the left and right edges; the numbers occupy the central area.

Fig. 44.65


Number
Location: pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); 1974 photograph in conservation file
Method: handwritten script
Content: 15 (fig. 44.66)148

A dark gray rectangular surface fills most of the frame, patterned with thin, closely spaced vertical lines. Along the top edge is a narrow light gray band, and at the upper right corner a small light gray rounded shape overlaps the edge. The center shows faint, irregular darker marks, while the left and right edges appear slightly darker. Surrounding areas are medium gray with a fine texture.

Fig. 44.66


Number
Location: pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); 1974 photograph in conservation file
Method: handwritten script
Content: D-R [90?]82 (fig. 44.67)149

Dark gray field with fine, closely spaced vertical lines running from top to bottom across the entire frame. Subtle variations in gray create a slightly mottled look, with a few faint lighter streaks and specks visible from left to right. No distinct objects, text, or figures are visible.

Fig. 44.67


Number
Location: pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); 1974 photograph in conservation file
Method: handwritten script
Content: D-R 9134 (fig. 44.68)150

Dark gray surface with fine vertical lines fills the frame. Across the middle from left to right are several very faint, unclear markings that look like partial characters but are not readable. Near the bottom center, a small light‑gray rectangular patch lies against the darker background. No people or other distinct objects are visible.

Fig. 44.68


Number
Location: pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); 1974 photograph in conservation file
Method: handwritten script
Content: DR 9134 (fig. 44.69)151

Top portion shows a light gray, fine-patterned band. Below it, a darker gray surface displays large, dark characters that appear to read “BR 9134,” with the first mark unclear and resembling either a B or a 5. A small white blotch sits slightly below center, under the area between the second and third characters. Overall tones are black, white, and gray.

Fig. 44.69


Number
Location: pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); 1974 photograph in conservation file
Method: handwritten script
Content: 17596 (fig. 44.70)152

Top area shows a dark to medium gray surface with horizontal bands. Across the center, faint dark digits “1596” run left to right, large enough to span most of the width. Near the bottom, two pale gray rectangular smudges sit left and right of center, with a small black speck just above the right smudge.

Fig. 44.70


Number
Location: pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); 1974 photograph in conservation file
Method: handwritten script
Content: 33.1157 (fig. 44.71)153

Top half shows a light gray, flat surface with small specks. Across the middle, white numbers “33,1157” appear left to right on a dark horizontal strip. The bottom portion is darker gray with an irregular shape beneath the strip.

Fig. 44.71


Number
Location: pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); 1974 photograph in conservation file
Method: handwritten script
Content: 35 1/4 × 36 1/2 (fig. 44.72)154

Top-to-bottom: a narrow dark gray band with small rectangular blocks sits above a long light-to-medium gray horizontal strip. Left-to-right across the strip, small round holes and scuffs are visible, with faint handwriting near the left and a clearer pencil note on the right that reads “35¼ x 36½.” Along the bottom edge, a ruler with tick marks runs across, providing scale. Colors are black, white, and gray.

Fig. 44.72


Number
Location: pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); 1974 photograph in conservation file
Method: handwritten script
Content: 35 1/4 × 36 1/2 (fig. 44.73)155

Top edge has a thin dark gray horizontal strip. Below it, on a light gray surface, darker gray handwriting runs left to right across the center reading “35 1/4 x 36 1/2.” Small dark specks are scattered around the writing, with no other distinct elements visible.

Fig. 44.73


Number
Location: pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); 1974 photograph in conservation file
Method: handwritten script
Content: 39 – 20 7/8 (fig. 44.74)156

A long, horizontal wooden board in grayscale fills the frame, with white chalk markings across its surface. From left to right, there is a large “3,” a short vertical stroke, faint scrawls near the center including a rough “2,” and on the far right a diagonal line next to characters resembling “1/8.” The wood is dark gray with lighter grain lines, and the chalk marks are bright white and medium-sized relative to the board, stretching across much of its length.

Fig. 44.74


Inscription
Location: pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); 1974 photograph in conservation file
Method: handwritten script
Content: Box 4[?] (fig. 44.75)157

Gray, textured surface with faint, dark-gray hand-drawn markings across the center. From left to right, four thin strokes form shapes that resemble letters, ending in a Y-like fork, spanning roughly half the width and sitting just above a subtle horizontal line across the lower half. A small, irregular dark patch appears at the lower right edge.

Fig. 44.75


Label
Location: 1974 stretcher (discarded); transcription in conservation file
Method: not documented
Content: I.C.A. SPRING STRETCHERS / OBERLIN, OHIO 44074 (fig. 44.76)158

Top left, small black text on a white background reads “1. Label:”. To the right, larger black text appears on two lines: “I.C.A. SPRING STRETCHERS” on the first line and “OBERLIN, OHIO 44074” on the second. The larger text sits slightly lower than the small label and occupies more horizontal space.

Fig. 44.76


Post-1980

Label
Location: backing board
Method: printed label
Content: THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO / ARTIST: Claude Monet / TITLE: Water Lilies (1906) / MEDIUM: Oil on canvas / CREDIT: Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Coll. / ACC.#: 1933.1157 (fig. 44.77)159

Top center, a white rectangular label with black text reads “THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO.” Below, left-aligned lines list: “ARTIST: Claude Monet,” “TITLE: Water Lilies (1906),” “MEDIUM: Oil on canvas,” “CREDIT: Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Coll.,” and “ACC.#: 1933.1157.” The card has rounded corners and sits against a light gray background.

Fig. 44.77


Label
Location: backing board
Method: printed label
Content: The Art Institute of Chicago / “Claude Monet: 1840–1926” / July 14, 1995–November 26, 1995 / Catalog: 130 / Water Lilies / Nymphéas / The Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. / Ryerson Collection (1933.1157) (fig. 44.78)160

Rectangular off-white label with black printed text, bordered by clear tape. From top to bottom, it reads: “The Art Institute of Chicago,” “Claude Monet: 1840–1926,” “July 14, 1995 – November 26, 1995”; then “Catalog: 130,” an underlined “Water Lilies,” italic “Nymphéas,” and at the bottom “The Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection (1933.1157).”

Fig. 44.78


Label
Location: backing board
Method: printed label
Content: MONET IN THE 20TH CENTURY / Museum of Fine Arts, Boston / September 20-December 27, 1998 / Royal Academy of Arts, London / January 21–April 18, 1999 / Cat. 32 W. 1683 / Nymphéas; Water Lilies, 1906 / The Art Institute of Chicago (fig. 44.79)161

White card with centered text inside a clear pocket with beige edges. Top line in blue reads “MONET IN THE 20TH CENTURY”; below in black: “Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, September 20–December 27, 1998” and “Royal Academy of Arts, London, January 21–April 18, 1999.” The lower portion reads “Cat. 32 W. 1683” and “Nymphéas; Water Lilies, 1906,” followed by “The Art Institute of Chicago.”

Fig. 44.79


Examination and Analysis Techniques

X-radiography

Westinghouse X-ray unit, scanned on Epson Expressions 10000XL flatbed scanner. Scans digitally composited by Robert G. Erdmann, University of Arizona.162

Infrared Reflectography

Fujifilm S5 Pro with X-Nite 1000B/2mm filter (1.0–1.1 µm); Inframetrics Infracam with 1.5–1.73 µm filter.163

Transmitted Infrared

Fujifilm S5 Pro with X-Nite 1000B/2mm filter (1.0–1.1 µm).164

Visible Light

Natural-light, raking-light, and transmitted-light overalls and macrophotography: Fujifilm S5 Pro with X-NiteCC1 filter.165

Ultraviolet

Fujifilm S5 Pro with X-NiteCC1 filter and Kodak Wratten 2E filter.166

High-Resolution Visible Light (and Ultraviolet)

Sinar P3 camera with Sinarback eVolution 75 H (PECA 918 UV/IR interference cut filter and Kodak Wratten 2E filter).167

Microscopy and Photomicrographs

Sample and cross-sectional analysis using a Zeiss Axioplan2 research microscope equipped with reflected light/UV fluorescence and a Zeiss AxioCam MRc5 digital camera. Types of illumination used: darkfield, differential interference contrast (DIC), and UV. In situ photomicrographs with a Wild Heerbrugg M7A StereoZoom microscope fitted with an Olympus DP71 microscope digital camera.168

X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF)

Several spots on the painting were analyzed in situ with a Bruker/Keymaster TRACeR III-V with rhodium tube.169

Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM)

Zeiss Universal research microscope.170

Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM/EDX)

Cross sections analyzed after carbon coating with a Hitachi S-3400N-II VP-SEM with Oxford EDS and a Hitachi solid-state BSE detector. Analysis was performed at the Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental (NUANCE) Center, Electron Probe Instrumentation Center (EPIC) facility.171

Automated Thread Counting

Thread count and weave information were determined by Thread Count Automation Project software.[65]172

Image Registration Software

Overlay images registered using a novel image-based algorithm developed by Damon M. Conover (GW), John K. Delaney (GW, NGA), and Murray H. Loew (GW) of the George Washington University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.[66]173

Image Inventory

The image inventory compiles records of all known images of the artwork on file in the Conservation Department, the Imaging Department, and the Department of Medieval to Modern European Painting and Sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago (fig. 44.80).174

Fig. 44.80
Location/Negative # Format Purpose Date Lighting, Notes
C13528     Unknown  
C39832 8 × 10 color negative Posttreatment Unknown Normal, overall
C50028 8 × 10 color negative   Unknown Normal, overall
C51274 8 × 10 CT Polaroid project Unknown Normal, overall
E11926   Pretreatment Unknown Normal, overall
Curatorial 4 × 5 CT   Unknown 5 total
Conservation 8 × 10 B&W negative Pretreatment May 7, 1974 Normal, overall
Conservation 8 × 10 B&W negative Pretreatment May 7, 1974 Normal, verso;original stretcher (cut off on left)
Conservation 8 × 10 B&W negative Pretreatment May 7, 1974 Ultraviolet, overall
C39685   Posttreatment June 28, 1974  
E19338   Pretreatment Nov. 1, 1989 Normal, overall
E22998 4 × 5 color negative   Nov. 12, 1990 Normal, overall
132278 Digital Loan exam Nov. 2008 Annotated image E22998
G31440 Digital   Mar. 3, 2009 Normal, overall
Conservation Digital OSCI Apr.–May 2011 Detail images and scans of verso, labels (18 total)
Conservation Digital OSCI May 2, 2011 X-ray films scanned/digitally composited, overall
Conservation Digital OSCI May 4, 2011 Normal, overall
Conservation Digital OSCI May 4, 2011 Infrared (Fuji, 1000B/2mm filter), overall 
Conservation Digital OSCI May 4, 2011 Raking light, overall (2 total)
Conservation Digital OSCI May 4, 2011 Ultraviolet, overall (2 total)
Conservation Digital OSCI May 4, 2011 Macro details (14 total)
Conservation Digital  OSCI May 6, 2011 Transmitted light, overall 
Conservation Digital  OSCI May 6, 2011 Transmitted infrared (Fuji, 1000B/2mm filter), overall (3 total)
Conservation Digital OSCI May 12, 2011 Photomicrographs of surface (23 total)
G39097 Digital OSCI Apr. 18, 2012 Normal, overall; compositeof G40550–G40575
G40550–G40575 Digital OSCI Apr. 18, 2012 Sections (26 total)
G39099 Digital OSCI Apr. 19, 2012 Ultraviolet, normal
G39098 Digital OSCI Apr. 20, 2012 Normal, frameonly

Notes

  1. Water Lilies (W1683) corresponds to Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 4, Nos. 1596–1983 et les grandes décorations (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 764, cat. 1638 (ill.); 765. The Art Institute currently uses the title that was given to the painting when it was exhibited in Les nymphéas: Serie de Paysages d’eau, held at Durand-Ruel May 6–June 5, 1909. Although, Monet did not assign individual titles to any paintings in the exhibition, they were simply known as Nymphéas (Water Lilies). See research conducted by Ann Dumas; research packet, Jan. 1991, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago. The painting had the following titles during the lifetime of the artist:

    May 6, 1909: Série 1906 (Galeries Durand-Ruel, Les nymphéas: Séries de Paysages d’eau par Claude Monet, exh. cat. [Galeries Durand-Ruel, 1909], cat. 15; confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago).

    May 29, 1909: Les nymphéas, paysage d’eau, série de 1906 (Durand-Ruel Paris, stock book, for 1901–13 [no. 90820]; see Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago).

    Aug. 9, 1909: Les nymphéas, paysage d’eau, série de 1906 (Durand-Ruel, Paris, stock book for 1901–13 [no. 9134]; see Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago).

    Apr. 1911: Les nymphéas, paysage d’eau, série de 1906 (Durand-Ruel, New York, deposit book for 1894–1925 [no. 7606]; see Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago).

    Feb. 10, 1914: Les nymphéas, paysage d’eau, série de 1906 (Durand-Ruel, New York, stock book for 1904–24 [no. 3768]; see Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago).

  2. Monet to Gustave Geffroy, Aug. 11, 1908, translated in Victor I. Stoichita, A Short History of the Shadow (Reaktion, 1997), p. 107; original French in Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 4, Peintures, 1899–1926 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1985), p. 374, letter 1854.
  3. John House, Monet: Nature into Art (Yale University Press, 1986), p. 151, translating Monet to Paul Durand-Ruel, Jan. 28, 1909; original Frenchin Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 4, Nos. 1596–1983 et les grandes décorations (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 375, letter 1875.
  4. Charles F. Stuckey, Monet: Water Lilies (Hugh Lauter Levin, 1988), p. 17; and Charles F. Stuckey, with the assistance of Sophia Shaw, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Thames & Hudson, 1995), p. 241.
  5. The numbers preceded by a W refer to the Monet catalogue raisonné; see Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vols. 1–4 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996).
  6. The numbers preceded by a W refer to the Monet catalogue raisonné; see Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vols. 1–4 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996).
  7. The numbers preceded by a W refer to the Monet catalogue raisonné; see Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vols. 1–4 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996).
  8. Paul Hayes Tucker, “The Revolution in the Garden,” in Paul Hayes Tucker with George T. M. Shackelford and Mary Anne Stevens, Monet in the 20th Century, exh. cat. (Royal Academy of Arts, London/Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1998), p. 45.
  9. The numbers preceded by a W refer to the Monet catalogue raisonné; see Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vols. 1–4 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996).
  10. Anonymous, “The Conscientious Artist,” Standard, May 20, 1908, as translated in Charles F. Stuckey, ed., Monet: A Retrospective (Hugh Lauter Levin, 1985), p. 251.
  11. John House, Monet: Nature into Art (Yale University Press, 1986), p. 31.
  12. François Thiébault-Sisson, “Claude Monet’s Water Lilies,” La revue de l’art ancien et moderne, June 1927, as translated in Charles F. Stuckey, ed., Monet: A Retrospective (Hugh Lauter Levin, 1985), p. 289.
  13. Paul Tucker, “The Revolution in the Garden,” in Paul Hayes Tucker with George T. M. Shackelford and Mary Anne Stevens, Monet in the 20th Century, exh. cat. (Royal Academy of Arts, London/Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1998), p. 45.
  14. Charles F. Stuckey, with the assistance of Sophia Shaw, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Thames & Hudson, 1995), p. 236, says that the photograph could also have been taken by Monet’s son, Michel, around 1905. Quotation in Victor I. Stoichita, A Short History of the Shadow (Reaktion, 1997), p. 109.
  15. Victor I. Stoichita, A Short History of the Shadow (Reaktion, 1997), p. 109.
  16. For an overview of the materials and methods of Claude Monet’s paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago, see Kimberley Muir, Inge Fiedler, Don H. Johnson, and Robert G. Erdmann, “An In-depth Study of the Materials and Technique of Paintings by Claude Monet from the Art Institute of Chicago,” ICOM-CC 17th Triennial Meeting Preprints, Melbourne, Sept. 15–19, 2014 (forthcoming).
  17. Using the toolbar at the bottom right, any two images of the painting may be selected for comparison by clicking the layers icon to the right of the slider bar. The slider bar may be moved to transition back and forth between the two chosen images. The jagged line icon brings up a list of available annotations, or colored lines that show the significant features visible in each image, which may be turned on or off in any combination. For example, the red annotation lines, associated with the natural-light image, trace some of the painting’s key compositional features. When overlaid onto a technical image (X-ray, raking light, UV, etc.), the red outlines help the viewer to better observe how features in the technical image relate to or diverge from the painting as seen with the naked eye. (When annotations are turned on, a legend appears in the upper right showing each color and its associated image type.) The circular arrow icon returns the image to the default settings (natural light, full-image view, natural-light [red] annotation on). The four-arrow icon toggles between the view of the image in the page and a full-screen view of the image. In the upper right corner, the vertical slider bar may be moved to zoom into or out of the image; different parts of the image can be accessed by clicking and dragging within the image itself. The icon in the upper left corner opens a small view of the full image, within which a red box indicates the portion of the overall image being viewed when zooming is enabled.
  18. XRF analysis, in conjunction with microscopic examination of the painting surface, indicates that the paint mixture contains lead white, vermilion, red lake, and viridian; other pigments may also be present. See Kimberley Muir, “Mon_WLilies_33_1157_XRF_Results,” Dec. 13, 2011, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
  19. See, for example, the chart of standard sizes available from Bourgeois Aîné in 1888, reproduced in David Bomford, Jo Kirby, John Leighton, and Ashok Roy, Art in the Making: Impressionism, exh. cat. (National Gallery, London/Yale University Press, 1990), p. 46, fig. 31. The original dimensions of the painting were based on a visual estimate of the original foldovers.
  20. Thread count and weave information determined by Thread Count Automation Project software; see Don H. Johnson and Robert G. Erdmann, “Thread Count Report: Claude Monet, Water Lilies (W1683/1933.1157),” Dec. 2011.
  21. This suggests that the cusping on the top, right, and bottom edges is related to the mounting of the canvas on the original stretcher (i.e., secondary cusping), while the cusping on the left edge may be primary cusping, related to the stretching of the larger canvas (from which this canvas was cut) on the commercial priming frame.
  22. The height and width dimensions appear to have been reversed in this report.
  23. See examination record of auxiliary support, n.d., on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
  24. The presence of a sizing layer is difficult to determine from cross sections due to previous conservation treatments, such as wax-resin lining.
  25. The fact that the brushmarking continues onto the tacking edges indicates that the layer was applied before the canvas was mounted on the stretcher. Furthermore, on the left edge, the brush marks appear to deform in correspondence with the cusping pattern of the canvas, which further supports the hypothesis that the layer was applied before the canvas was stretched.
  26. Traces of magnesium, aluminum, and silicon were detected in association with the calcium particles and are believed to be impurities often associated with the chalk. The ground composition was analyzed using SEM/EDX and XRF. See Inge Fiedler, “1933_1157_Monet_analytical_report,” May 23, 2014; and Kimberley Muir, “Mon_WLilies_33_1157_XRF_Results,” Dec. 13, 2011, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
  27. The pigments were identified by the following methods: lead white, cadmium yellow, chrome yellow, vermilion, viridian, malachite, cobalt blue (PLM, XRF); cobalt violet (PLM, XRF, electron microprobe); red lake, ultramarine blue (PLM). Electron microprobe analysis conducted in 1975 confirmed that the cobalt violet pigment is a cobalt arsenate. See Inge Fiedler, “1933_1157_Monet_analytical_report,” May 23, 2014, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago. Paint scraping samples taken in 1974/75 were reexamined by PLM in 2013. Analysis was carried out on selected areas and may not include all pigments present in the painting. For more detailed results and conditions used, see Inge Fiedler, “1933_1157_Monet_analytical_report,” May 23, 2014; Inge Fiedler, “1933_1157_Monet_PLM_results,” Oct. 22, 2013; Kimberley Muir, “Mon_WLilies_33_1157_XRF_Results,” Dec. 13, 2011, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
  28. The binding medium was not analyzed. The estimation of an oil medium is based on visual examination, as well as on knowledge of Monet’s technique and published analyses of Monet paintings in other collections. See, for example, David Bomford, Jo Kirby, John Leighton, and Ashok Roy, Art in the Making: Impressionism, exh. cat. (National Gallery, London/Yale University Press, 1990), pp. 72–75.
  29. See Louis Pomerantz, examination report, Sept. 26, 1956, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
  30. See Alfred Jakstas, treatment report, July 15, 1974, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
  31. See Alfred Jakstas, treatment report, July 15, 1974, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
  32. See Frank Zuccari, treatment report, Nov. 19, 1990, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
  33. Kirk Vuillemot, “Monet Frame Descriptions Final,” Dec. 3, 2013, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
  34. Kirk Vuillemot, “Monet Frame Descriptions Final,” Dec. 3, 2013, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
  35. Kirk Vuillemot, “Monet Frame Descriptions Final,” Dec. 3, 2013, on file in the Conservation Department, Art Institute of Chicago.
  36. The transaction is recorded in the Durand-Ruel, Paris, stock book for 1901–13 (no. 9082, as Les nymphéas, paysage d’eau, série de 1906): “Purchased from Monet by DR Paris on 3 June 1909 for 14 000 F (3/4 Durand-Ruel, 1/4 Bernheim-Jeune); Stock DR Paris no. 9082; photo no. 6474,” as confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  37. The transaction is recorded in the Durand-Ruel Paris, stock book, for 1901–13 (no. 9082, as Les nymphéas, paysage d’eau, série de 1906): “Sold to Henry Bernstein (the playwright) on 29 May 1909 for 20 000 F.,” as confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago. Also in this letter, the Durand-Ruel Archives notes that “the apparent chronological anomaly between the dates of the purchase and of the sale is not unusual.”
  38. The transaction is recorded in the Durand-Ruel, Paris, stock book for 1901–13 (no. 9134, as Les nymphéas, paysage d’eau, série de 1906): “Purchased from Henry Bernstein by DR Paris on 9 August 1909 for 20 000 F / Stock DR Paris no. 9134,” as confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  39. The transaction is recorded in the Durand-Ruel, New York, deposit book for 1894–1925 (no. 7606, as Les nymphéas, paysage d’eau, série de 1906): “Sent on deposit to DR New York in April 1911 / NY Deposit no. 7606,” as confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  40. The transaction is recorded in the Durand-Ruel, New York, stock book for 1904–24 (no. 3768, as Les nymphéas, paysage d’eau, série de 1906): “Purchased by DR New York on 10 February 1914 / Stock DR New York no. 3768,” as confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  41. The transaction is recorded in the Durand-Ruel, New York, stock book for 1904–24 (no. 3768, as Les nymphéas, paysage d’eau, série de 1906): “Sold to M.A. Ryerson on 10 February 1914 for $ 5 000,” as confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago. A purchase receipt on Durand-Ruel letterhead, dated February 10, 1914, details that this painting (no. 3768, Monet, Les nymphéas, paysage d’eau, 1906) was acquired by M. A. Ryerson, in addition to two other paintings (no. 3668, Monet, La cabane de douaniers, 1897 (cat. 35); and no. 3646, Monet, Waterloo Bridge, London,1903) (cat. 39) for $20,000. Photocopy in curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago. This painting was on loan from Martin A. Ryerson to the Art Institute of Chicago, intermittently, by 1921, according to Museum Registration department artists sheets, on file in Museum Registration, Art Institute of Chicago.
  42. This information has been confirmed by the Durand-Ruel Archives, in consultation with the annotated exhibition catalogue; see Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013. According to Charles F. Stuckey, with the assistance of Sophia Shaw, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Thames & Hudson, 1995),p. 241, the exhibition was extended to June 12.
  43. According to Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 4, Nos. 1596–1983 et les grandes décorations (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 764, cat. 1638 (ill.); 765.
  44. According to shipping out order 41087, on file in Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago; and receipt of object 11614, on file in Museum Registration, Art Institute of Chicago. A notation on the shipping out order states that the exhibition was held September 1949. For the exhibition opening date, see “September Art Center Calendar,” Sioux City Sunday Journal, Sept. 4, 1949, p. 2–Sec. 2.
  45. According to records at the Carnegie Museum of Art, this exhibition was a freestanding pavilion located in the center of Architectural Hall. The Art Institute’s painting was only on display in the exhibition from January 15 to March 31, 1954. See email and shipping receipts from Elizabeth Tufts Brown, Carnegie Museum of Art, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Oct. 11, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago. See also shipping out order A2532, on file in Institutional Archives; and receipt of object 13916, on file in Museum Registration, Art Institute of Chicago. For more information on the exhibition, see Carnegie Institute, Annual Report, 1953 (Carnegie Institute, [1953]), pp. 26–28; and Gordon Bailey Washburn, “Experimental Gallery,” Carnegie Magazine (Nov. 1953), pp. 298–99.
  46. According to shipping out order A4725, on file in Institutional Archives; and receipt of object 15333, on file in Museum Registration, Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition title and dates are recorded on the shipping out order. See also the Renaissance Society’s online exhibition archive.
  47. The exhibition catalogue is printed in Art Institute of Chicago, “Catalogue,” Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly 51, 2 (Apr. 1, 1957), pp. 33–34. Under “Exhibitions” in the same issue, the original exhibition dates were listed as April 1–30 (p. 36); however, the show was extended until June 15. See Edith Weigle, “The Wonderful World of Art,” Chicago Daily Tribune, May 26, 1957, p. E2, for an exhibition review and date extension. The April 1957 issue of the Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly was largely dedicated to the Monet works in the Art Institute’s collection. The exhibition marked the first time the Art Institute’s thirty works by Monet were shown together in the museum.
  48. According to shipping out order C1413, on file in Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago; and Museum Registration department artists sheets, on file in Museum Registration, Art Institute of Chicago, this work was on loan to Neison Harris in exchange for his loan to Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, Degas in the Art Institute of Chicago, July 19–Sept. 23, 1984.
  49. The painting was exhibited but was not included in the exhibition catalogue; see exhibition checklist, on file in Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago.
  50. This information has been confirmed by the Durand-Ruel Archives, in consultation with the annotated exhibition catalogue; see Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013.
  51. Reprinted in Art Institute of Chicago, A Guide to the Paintings in the Permanent Collection (Art Institute of Chicago, 1932), p. 186, cat. 111.14.
  52. Reprinted in Art Institute of Chicago, Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago: A Catalogue of the Picture Collection (Art Institute of Chicago, 1968), p. 322.
  53. The latter was republished as Gloria Groom and Douglas Druick, with the assistance of Dorota Chudzicka and Jill Shaw, The Age of French Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Art Institute of Chicago, rev. and expanded ed. (Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press, 2010, repr. 2013), pp. 177; 179; 190–91, cat. 104 (ill.); 193.
  54. See Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  55. See Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  56. See Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  57. See Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  58. See Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 21, 2013, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  59. The label was located on the pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); preserved in conservation file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  60. The label was located on the pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); preserved in conservation file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  61. The label was located on the pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); see 1974 photograph in conservation file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  62. The label was located on the pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); see 1974 photograph in conservation file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  63. The incription was located on the pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); see 1974 photograph in conservation file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  64. The incription was located on the pre-1974-treatment stretcher (discarded); see 1974 photograph in conservation file, Art Institute of Chicago.
  65. See Don H. Johnson, C. Richard Johnson, G. Klein, William A. Sethares, H. Lee, and Ella Hendriks, “A Thread Counting Algorithm for Art Forensics,” 2009 IEEE Thirteenth Digital Signal Processing and Fifth IEEE Signal Processing Education Workshop (IEEE, 2009), pp. 679–84; doi:10.1109/DSP.2009.4786009.
  66. See Damon M. Conover, John K. Delaney, Paola Ricciardi, and Murray H. Loew, “Towards automatic registration of technical images of works of art,” in Computer Vision and Image Analysis of Art II, ed. David G. Stork, James Coddington, and Anna Bentkowska-Kafel, Proc. SPIE 7869 (SPIE/IS&T, 2011), doi:10.1117/12.872634.

How to Cite

Entry by Jill Shaw; Technical Report by Kimberley Muir and Kirk Vuillemot, “Cat. 44 Water Lilies, 1906,” in Monet Paintings and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, ed. Gloria Groom and Jill Shaw, rev. ed. (2014; repr., Art Institute of Chicago, 2026), https://doi.org/10.53269/9780865592698/30.

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