Four Figures

Art Historical Context

Adolphe Monticelli (1824–1886), a French from Provence, created *Four Figures*, a small-scale oil on wood panel (9¾ × 7¾ in.) now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Paintings department. Though the exact date is unknown, it reflects Monticelli's mature style from the mid-to-late 19th, when he favored intimate, jewel-like compositions. Bequeathed by Adelaide Milton de Groot in1967, this work exemplifies his fascination with female figures, often depicted in evocative, dreamlike groupings tagged simply as "Women." Monticelli's technique shines in such pieces: thick, impastoed l...