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Execution of the Emperor Maximilian
Edouard Manet (French, 1832–1883)
1867
Medium/Technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
195.9 x 259.7 cm (77 1/8 x 102 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Gair Macomber
Accession Number30.444
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsPaintings
In 1867, Maximilian, emperor of Mexico, was executed with two of his generals—Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía—by order of the former president, Benito Juárez, who opposed the oppressive French occupation of Mexico. French emperor Napoleon III had installed the Austrian archduke Maximilian as a puppet emperor in 1864, but later withdrew support for his regime. When news of this incident reached Paris, Manet, who was ideologically averse to Napoleon III’s imperialist intervention in Mexico, broke with tradition by interpreting this contemporary event on the grand scale usually reserved for scenes from ancient history or myth. This expressive and unresolved canvas is the first of several versions, its free handling bestowing a sense of immediacy on the charged scene. For its composition, Manet selected evidence from documentary materials while engaging with art historical precedents, notably including Francisco Goya’s 1814 painting "Third of May 1808," which Manet likely saw at the Museo del Prado in Madrid in 1865.
Provenance1883, probably passed by descent from the artist to his widow, Suzanne Leenhoff Manet (b. 1830 - d. 1906), Asnières, France [see note 1]; given by Mme. Manet to her son, Léon Koëlla Leenhoff (b. 1852 - d. 1927), Paris [see note 2]; 1899, sold by Mr. Koëlla Leenhoff to Ambroise Vollard (b. 1867 - d. 1939), Paris; July 1, 1909, sold by Vollard to Frank Gair Macomber (b. 1849 - d. 1941), Boston [see note 3]; 1930, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Gair Macomber to the MFA. (Accession Date: May 1, 1930)
NOTES:
[1] The provenance given here (to 1899) is provided by Adolphe Tabarant, "Manet et ses oeuvres" (Paris, 1947), p. 176. [2] Manet married Suzanne Leenhoff in 1863. Her illegitimate son, Léon, born in 1852, was almost certainly Manet's child. He inherited Manet's estate after his mother's death. [3] The sale to Macomber is recorded in Vollard's stock book on July 1, 1909; it was shipped to Boston on September 16, 1909 (Bibliothèque des Musées Nationaux, Fonds Vollard, MS 421 [5,4] f. 134 and MS 421 [4,13] f. 19). Additionally, in a letter from Vollard to Macomber (September 11, 1909), the dealer discusses the latter's payment for the "sketch of the Execution of Maximilian, which you purchased from me." According to notes in the MFA object file (about 1939, taken by Charles C. Cunningham), Mr. Macomber said that he purchased the painting in Paris upon the advice of the painter Mary Cassatt, after she had taken him to see it at "Kelekian's shop." Whether Kelekian played a role in the transaction has not been determined. Correspondence between the MFA and Vollard, dating to September and October 1909, indicates that Vollard had been responsible for the sale and shipment of the painting.
NOTES:
[1] The provenance given here (to 1899) is provided by Adolphe Tabarant, "Manet et ses oeuvres" (Paris, 1947), p. 176. [2] Manet married Suzanne Leenhoff in 1863. Her illegitimate son, Léon, born in 1852, was almost certainly Manet's child. He inherited Manet's estate after his mother's death. [3] The sale to Macomber is recorded in Vollard's stock book on July 1, 1909; it was shipped to Boston on September 16, 1909 (Bibliothèque des Musées Nationaux, Fonds Vollard, MS 421 [5,4] f. 134 and MS 421 [4,13] f. 19). Additionally, in a letter from Vollard to Macomber (September 11, 1909), the dealer discusses the latter's payment for the "sketch of the Execution of Maximilian, which you purchased from me." According to notes in the MFA object file (about 1939, taken by Charles C. Cunningham), Mr. Macomber said that he purchased the painting in Paris upon the advice of the painter Mary Cassatt, after she had taken him to see it at "Kelekian's shop." Whether Kelekian played a role in the transaction has not been determined. Correspondence between the MFA and Vollard, dating to September and October 1909, indicates that Vollard had been responsible for the sale and shipment of the painting.