In his own day, Vollon was hailed as a second Chardin. This work, probably painted in the late 1870s, exhibits his technical virtuosity in describing the surface, light, and texture of everyday objects. His still lifes, in their choice of theme, palette, and broad handling, reflect the influence of his mentor Ribot, whose work was likewise indebted to seventeenth-century Spanish painting.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
William Merritt Chase, New York (sold to Walker); William Hall Walker, New York and Great Barrington, Mass. (until d. 1917)
Wilmington, N.C. Wilmington WPA Museum of Art. "Paintings by Old Masters from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," April 2–May 4, 1941, no. 18 (as "The Big White Cheese").
Canton, Ohio. Canton Art Institute. January 6–May 1, 1944, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Van Gogh as Critic and Self-Critic," October 30, 1973–January 6, 1974, no. 45 (as "Big White Cheese").
New York. David Findlay Galleries, Inc. "Antoine Vollon: An Exhibition of Paintings," November 12–December 13, 1980, no catalogue.
Gifu, Japan. Musée des Beaux-Arts, Gifu. "Paris autour de 1882: Le développement de la peinture moderne en France et Hôsui Yamamoto," November 3–December 19, 1982, no. 64.
Kamakura. Kanagawa Museum of Modern Art. "Paris autour de 1882: Le développement de la peinture moderne en France et Hôsui Yamamoto," January 20–February 20, 1983, no. 64.
New York. Wildenstein & Co., Inc. "Antoine Vollon (1833–1900): A Painter's Painter," October 27, 2004–January 7, 2005, no. 46.
Frances Lauderbach. "Notes from Talks by William M. Chase. Summer Class, Carmel-by-the Sea, California. Memoranda from a Student's Note Book." American Magazine of Art 8 (September 1917), p. 437, quotes Chase's undated statement regarding Vollon's still life pictures: "'Vollon also painted such subjects well. I have one by him which I prize most highly — a big cream-cheese and a bowl of milk'" [identified as our painting by Ref. Pisano 1986].
Josephine L. Allen and Elizabeth E. Gardner. A Concise Catalogue of the European Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1954, p. 100.
Charles Sterling and Margaretta M. Salinger. French Paintings: A Catalogue of the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. 2, XIX Century. New York, 1966, pp. 142–43, ill., compare it to the still lifes of Chardin, Ribot, and seventeenth-century Spanish painters.
Ronald G. Pisano in Maureen C. O'Brien. In Support of Liberty: European Paintings at the 1883 Pedestal Fund Art Loan Exhibition. Exh. cat., Parrish Art Museum. Southampton, N.Y., 1986, p. 67, fig. 8, [see Ref. Lauderbach 1917].
Barbara Dayer Gallati. William Merritt Chase. New York, 1995, p. 125, ill., notes that Chase owned twenty works by Vollon, including this one.
Katharine Baetjer. European Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Artists Born Before 1865: A Summary Catalogue. New York, 1995, p. 448, ill.
Eliot Rowlands inAntoine Vollon (1833–1900): "A Painter's Painter". Exh. cat., Wildenstein & Co., Inc. New York, 2004, pp. 122–23, 135, no. 46, ill. p. 74 (color), dates it about 1875–80; mentions a similar Vollon still life with cheese (sale, Kunstveilingen S. J. Mak Van Waay, Amsterdam, October 15, 1963, no. 501).
Carol Forman Tabler inAntoine Vollon (1833–1900): "A Painter's Painter". Exh. cat., Wildenstein & Co., Inc. New York, 2004, p. 15, notes a similar cheese depicted in a Maurice Lourdey caricature of Vollon painting a still life (published in "Revue illustrée" 15, May 1, 1893, p. 355).
Peter Kropmanns inParis 1863–1874: Revolution in der Kunst, Vom Salon zum Impressionismus. Ed. Barbara Schaefer. Exh. cat., Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud. Cologne, 2024, p. 228 n. 2.
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
