The Brioche

Édouard Manet called still life the “touchstone of the painter,” and this work stands as the final and most elaborate example of his large tabletop compositions from 1862–1870. Inspired by a brioche painting by Jean Siméon Chardin, recently donated to the Louvre, Manet transforms the genre into a feast for the senses. Luxurious textures and vivid contrasts silky fruit, gleaming metal, crisp linen, and a fragrant flower crowning the brioche create a richly tactile, timeless composition with enduring visual and collectible appeal.