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| Alexandre-Isidore Leroy de Barde Crystalized Minerals on Shelves before 1828 watercolor and gouache Musée du Louvre |
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| Alexandre-Isidore Leroy de Barde Shells on Shelves before 1828 watercolor and gouache Musée du Louvre |
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| Alexandre-Isidore Leroy de Barde Foreign Birds in Boxes before 1828 watercolor and gouache Musée du Louvre |
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| Alexandre-Isidore Leroy de Barde Exotic Birds in Boxes before 1828 watercolor and gouache Musée du Louvre |
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| Alexandre-Isidore Leroy de Barde Greek and Etruscan Vases on Shelves before 1828 watercolor and gouache Musée du Louvre |
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| Jean-Baptiste Oudry Still Life with Monkey 1724 oil on canvas Art Institute of Chicago |
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| Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin The White Tablecloth ca. 1731-32 oil on canvas Art Institute of Chicago |
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| Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin Remains of a Meal, with Silver Goblet ca. 1730 oil on canvas Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille |
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| Édouard Vuillard Still Life with Carafe and Knife ca. 1888-89 oil on canvas Art Institute of Chicago |
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| Paul Gauguin Wooden Mug and Metal Jug 1880 oil on canvas Art Institute of Chicago |
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| Odilon Redon Flowers - Poppies and Daisies ca. 1867 oil on cardboard Art Institute of Chicago |
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| Claude Monet Chrysanthemums 1878 oil on canvas Musée d'Orsay, Paris |
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| Paul Cézanne Two Apples on a Table ca. 1895-98 oil on canvas private collection |
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| Henri Fantin-Latour Roses 1872 oil on canvas Musée du Louvre |
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| Édouard Manet White Peonies and Shears 1864 oil on canvas Musée d'Orsay, Paris |
You, Peony
The love-seat is placed at the one uncomfortable angle –
The table is out of reach for a cup or a glass –
The carpet's all ready to trip on,
And where is the other hand of the ormolu clock?
It's the sort of room where "Never mind" and "I'm so sorry" echo endlessly.
How come you to blossom like this
From the tight hard bud of the room,
You peony,
White sunburst
Unbitten by ants, unrained on, unshaken?
May never a petal slide out of your heart!
– Roberta Teale Swartz (1939)