The Broken Pitcher

Posted by Sidonie (Sydney, Australia) on 11 January 2007 in Lifestyle & Culture and Portfolio.

Painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, France 1825-1905.
"The Broken Pitcher" 1891.
Oil on canvas 133 x 85.5.cm
Collection of The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.

I bought her for a dollar in a flea market. She lives on my bedroom wall. Reproduction is a blurry photograph printed on thick plywood - slightly curved now because of neglect and age.

I gaze at her everyday and wonder about the life of a girl in 19th century France whose job it was to carry water from the well in a heavy vessel. Bourgeurau paints the event at the moment of crisis/failure. The water vessel = pitcher lies broken at her feet with a crack through its base. Is she confessing to clumsiness? Are we to chide her?

... broken pitcher/picture

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Comments (7)

Kelvin Chan from New York City, United States

thank you for your input about my speedy candid saying. the tour de france info was very amusing and i can really see how it relates to my picture.

living in the 19th century must be very boring.

11 Jan 2007 5:36am

@Kelvin Chan: You're welcome. Every century has its boring stretches. Think how exciting the development of the camera was to the 19th century (1840s)!

Aleks from Gorinchem, Netherlands

The facial expression really draws my attention. Do I see a tear below her right-eye?

11 Jan 2007 8:00am

@Aleks: Ouch! No - it was speck of dust on the "painting" when I took the photo. Could even have been a crumb. I hadn't noticed until your comment! But the expectation of a teardrop is appropriate, so I could have simply said "yes", that is, until you decide one day to visit the original in San Francisco and see there is no teardrop.

Adiemus from Christchurch, New Zealand

You have to wonder whether the model was as beautiful and wistful as the artist painted her. It's always been one of my favourite paintings.

11 Jan 2007 8:40am

@Adiemus: Great to hear such appreciative comments. It's a "painting" that just won't let you look away, regardless of reproduction limitations.

benjamin from Singapore

im always amazed to see a good painting.. will probably never be able to understand how they make it so life like... thnx for sharing it.. great caption too

11 Jan 2007 10:09am

@benjamin: Thank you, Benjamin, my pleasure.

Manuela Photography from Hainburg (near Frankfurt/Main), Germany

It´s just amamzing the work the painters reached on those days.
It is so alive & yes it does look alomost like a tear below her right-eye.

11 Jan 2007 12:43pm

@Manuela Photography: Thank you Manuela: that "teardrop" is worrying me so much now, but I won't do a retake. I will leave it as is to remind myself to look more closely before I take another photo of a "painting".