Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, c.1885/86 John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)

We create our paintings with museum quality and covering the highest academic standards. Once we get your order, it will be entirely hand-painted with oil on canvas. All the materials we use are the highest level, being totally artist graded painting materials and linen canvas.

We will add 1.6" (4 cm) additional blank canvas all over the painting for stretching.

High quality and detailing in every inch are time consuming. The reproduction of John Singer Sargent also needs time to dry in order to be completely ready for shipping, as this is crucial to not be damaged during transportation.
Based on the size, level of detail and complexity we need 8-9 weeks to complete the process.

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We not stretch and frame our oil paintings due to several reasons:
Painting reproduction is a high quality expensive product, which we cannot risk to damage by sending it being stretched.
Also, there are postal restrictions, regarding the size of the shipment.
Additionally, due to the dimensions of the stretched canvas, the shipment price may exceed the price of the product itself.

You can stretch and frame your painting in your local frame-shop.

Once the painting Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose is ready and dry, it will be shipped to your delivery address. The canvas will be rolled-up in a secure postal tube.

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In "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose," John Singer Sargent captures a moment so delicate, it seems to hover just outside of time. The two young girls - Dolly and Polly Barnard - are at the heart of the composition, standing amidst a garden that seems to be in the midst of some enchanted twilight. They are surrounded by glowing lanterns, their gentle light flickering against the deep green backdrop of lilies and roses, as the last rays of daylight begin to disappear. Sargent’s decision to focus on the interplay between natural light and artificial illumination gives the painting an otherworldly quality, as though we are witnessing a brief, magical transition between day and night.

The lanterns themselves are the primary source of light in the scene, their soft glow captured with delicate, almost imperceptible brushstrokes. Each one seems to pulse with its own quiet energy, the warm orange-pink tones reflecting on the girls' white dresses, which take on an ethereal glow in the fading dusk. The girls, engrossed in lighting their lanterns, seem unaware of the world around them, lost in their small task. The luminous quality of their dresses contrasts beautifully with the darker greens and purples of the surrounding flowers and foliage, heightening the sense of an intimate, sheltered space.

Sargent’s brushwork is masterful, particularly in the way he handles light. The dappled effect of the lantern light across the girls' faces and dresses is rendered with a series of delicate, precise strokes, but there's also a looseness to the foliage that adds texture and depth. The garden itself feels alive, teeming with flowers - lilies, roses, and carnations - their pale blossoms standing out against the shadowy greens. It’s as if the garden is both a backdrop and an active participant in this twilight ritual, with the flowers swaying gently in the night air, their forms softening in the dusky light.

Compositionally, the painting feels almost dreamlike. The lanterns guide our eye through the scene, their glow leading us from the girls to the surrounding blooms. Sargent’s choice to crop the canvas - removing a portion of the left side - draws our focus more closely on the girls, eliminating distractions and heightening the sense of quiet intimacy. He worked on this painting over two summers, painstakingly capturing the light of dusk, and you can feel that patience in every detail.

What sets "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose" apart from many other works of its time is its ability to evoke mood through subtle means. There is no grand drama here, no sweeping gesture or overwhelming emotional charge. Instead, Sargent invites us to pause, to take in the scene slowly, letting the soft glow of the lanterns and the twilight garden wash over us. It’s a painting that feels both timeless and fleeting - a perfect encapsulation of a moment that could slip away at any second, but is captured forever through the artist’s gentle, thoughtful touch.