Edgar Degas | A Woman Seated Beside a Vase of Flowers, 1865

The juxtaposition of the prominent bouquet and the off-center figure, gazing distractedly to the right, exemplifies Degas’s aim of capturing individuals in seemingly casual, slice-of-life views.

The sitter is probably the wife of the artist’s schoolboy friend Paul Valpinçon; Degas immensely enjoyed outings to their country house, Ménil-Hubert, and the dahlias, asters, and gaillardias in the bouquet would suggest a late summer visit.

The painting was preceded by a pencil drawing of the woman, also dated 1865 (Fogg Museum, Cambridge, Mass.). | Source: © Metropolitan Museum of Art

Edgar Degas | A Woman Seated beside a Vase of Flowers (Madame Paul Valpinçon), 1865 | Metropolitan Museum of Art

Edgar Degas | Sulking, 1870

Two well-known personalities in the art world, the writer Edmond Duranty and model Emma Dobigny, posed for this early genre scene by Degas, set in an office, possibly a small bank.

From the faithfully copied British racing print to the stylishly attired female protagonist, it recalls the work of fellow artist James Tissot.

Claude Monet | Apples and Grapes, 1879-1880

This is one of three tabletop still lifes depicting a basket of apples and grapes that Monet painted in 1879-80, when a spell of bad weather forced him to retreat indoors.

In late November 1879, his future stepdaughter Marthe Hoschedé took note of a "painting of fruits" in progress, when she recorded that Monet was "working hard at his still lifes which are very pretty". | Source: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Claude Monet | Apples and Grapes, 1879-80 | Metropolitan Museum of Art

Claude Monet | Morning on the Seine near Giverny, 1897

Begun in 1896, Monet’s Mornings on the Seine series was not completed until 1897 because of inclement weather.

Having patiently scouted out views along the river, Monet then painted the pictures from a boat that he had converted into a floating studio.

For an extended period he rose by dawn in order to paint the changing effects of light as the sun came up.

He then lined up the canvases on easels in his studio to complete them together as a series.

Fifteen were shown at the Galerie Georges Petit in 1898. | © Metropolitan Museum of Art

Claude Monet | Morning on the Seine near Giverny, 1897 | Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bartholomeus van der Helst | The Musician, 1662

Tuning the strings of her theorbo-lute, a beautiful musician directs an engaging glance at the viewer.

The foreground of the picture displays a viola da gamba and sheet music for tenor and soprano voices, suggesting that the lute player anticipates a duet.

Dutch painters of the seventeenth century frequently associated music-making and courtship with amateur concerts, providing opportunities for mingling and flirtation. | Source: © Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bartholomeus van der Helst | The Musician, 1662 | Metropolitan Museum of Art

John Singer Sargent | Madame Ramon Subercaseaux, 1880-81

This portrait is a collaboration between a young artist establishing himself in the Parisian art world and a young couple with progressive tastes.

It depicts Amalia Subercaseaux (1860-1930), wife of Chilean consul and artist Ramón Subercaseaux (whose portrait hangs nearby), seated at a piano in the couple’s elegant and stylish residence on the Avenue du Bois de Boulogne.

Working within an established portrait tradition, Sargent assimilates evolving ideas about representation and identity.