Focus on The Rabbit (Manet 1881) and discuss the Origin.
The Rabbit was conceived as one of four decorative panels, and was painted not long after Manet had suggested a series of panels for the meeting chamber at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris, though nothing came of this concept. Completed in 1881, when Manet's health was in decline, The Rabbit was painted while the artist was spending the summer months at a villa in Versailles. The painting, which was one of the central pairings of a four panel set, was part of a new cycle of decorative work undertaken by Manet while at Versailles. The other central panel, along with The Rabbit conceived to representing hunting trophies, was The Eagle Owl which as of 2012 is part of the Buhrle Collection in Zurich. The outer panels illustrate, on one a vine on a trellis and the other a corner of a garden. Two other pictures were grouped as part of the same inventory from his studio at the time of Manet's death, a vase of flowers and a watering can; but although they may be related to the same cycle of work are not believed to be part of the set of panels related to The Rabbit.The work was initially submitted to the Salon in Paris in 1882, but was not accepted. It was sold after Manet's death as part of a studio sale to the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel. It later passed into the ownership of the Paris-based art firm, Bernheim-Jeune. In 1917 The Rabbit was purchased from Bernheim-Jeune by the Welsh philanthrapist Gwendoline Davies, who in 1918 exhibited it at the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath. On Gwendoline's death in 1951, she bequeathed her collection of Impressionist works to the National Museum of Wales, among them The Rabbit. As of 2012 it is on view at the National Museum Cardiff in gallery 11.
Victoria Art Gallery Wales Gwendoline Davies Bernheim-Jeune The Eagle Owl Buhrle Collection Paul Durand-Ruel Versailles Rabbit Salon National Museum Cardiff Hôtel de Ville Cardiff