Robie began his career painting portraits of Napoleon that were sold to English tourists on their way to Waterloo, site of the French leader’s defeat. He later turned to still life, gaining a substantial reputation in Belgium, the United States, and France, where an effusive critic noted that he “reigns without rival in the domain of flowers.” Although this delicate rendering of a branch of mountain ash seems very casual, the surface is meticulously worked with barely perceptible brushstrokes and the lighting is carefully staged so that the highlighted blossoms emerge dramatically from deep background shadow.

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