Vase of Peonies on a Pedestal

Still-lifes have a great importance in Manet’s work. They account for a fifth of his oeuvre, quite apart from the many pictures within pictures, such as the dress and basket in the foreground of the D�jeuner or the bouquet in Olympia. All of Manet’s most important works contain a magisterial still-life, from the desk and passe-partout in the Portrait of �mile Zola, the arms and carefully laid table of Luncheon in the Studio to the mugs in The Waitress or the oranges in the Bar in the Folies-Berg�re.