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Edouard Manet, 'Woman with a Cat', about 1880-2

About the work

The sitter is Suzanne Leenhoff, whom Manet married in 1863, but had known since 1849, when she started to give piano lessons to the Manet family. The family cat, Zizi, was drawn many times by the artist, and also appears in watercolour sketches in his letters sent from Bellevue.

This portrait was probably painted after the Manets' return from their summer residence at Rueil, west of Paris. It is considered unfinished, and it is possible that Manet was working on it when he died in 1883.

The vibrant slashes of paint in red, blue and white across the sitter's breast are typical of the artist's sketch technique.

This painting was in the collection of Degas, who obtained it from the dealer Ambroise Vollard in exchange for a pastel.

Key facts

Full title
Woman with a Cat
Artist
Edouard Manet
Artist dates
1832 - 1883
Date made
about 1880-2
Medium and support
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
92.1 × 73 cm
Acquisition credit
Tate: Purchased 1918
Inventory number
L675
Location
Room 43
Image copyright
Tate: Purchased 1918, © 2000 Tate
Collection
Main Collection

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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