酒杯

Sargent was 19 when he painted this, a student in Paris still learning his trade in the studio of Carolus-Duran. He spent the summer of 1875 painting outdoors in the French countryside, trying out the quick, wet, direct handling, paint laid straight onto the canvas, that the Impressionists were making their name with. There are no people here at all. Just dappled light coming through a trellis onto a white cloth, and two filled wine glasses on a silver tray, close to us, hinting that someone has just stepped away or is about to arrive. He gave the little picture to his teacher as a thank-you. It only reached the National Gallery in 2018, accepted by the British government in place of inheritance tax.