Meules, effet de neige, matin (Grainstacks, Snow Effect, Morning)
Painting on canvas • Claude Monet
Style & Movement
Impressionism
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas; Impressionist technique involving broken color, wet-on-wet application (alla prima), and short, thick brushstrokes to capture the ephemeral effects of light and atmosphere.
Creation Period
1890–1891
Dimensions & Format
Approximately 65 x 92 cm (25.6 x 36.2 in); Landscape format
Subject Description
The painting depicts two stacks of wheat in a field near Giverny covered in frost and snow during a winter morning. The composition focuses on the play of light—specifically the cool blue shadows contrasting with the pale, warm morning light on the horizon. It explores the transience of time and atmospheric conditions.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Excellent; well-preserved in a museum environment with stable paint layers and vibrant color saturation.
Estimated Market Value
$50,000,000 - $80,000,000 USD (Based on recent record sales of the 'Meules' series reaching over $110 million).
Auction Estimate
$40,000,000 - $70,000,000 USD
Provenance History
Originally sold by the artist through Paul Durand-Ruel; historically held in various prestigious private collections; currently in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (gift of Miss Aimée Lamb in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Horatio Appleton Lamb).
Art Historical Significance
This work is part of Monet's seminal 'Haystacks' series, which marked a turning point in his career and the history of Western art. The series demonstrated his shift toward seriality—painting the same subject under different light and weather conditions—which anticipated the development of abstract art and minimalism.
Notable Features
The use of contrasting complementary colors (blues in the shadows and yellows/pinks in the sky) to create a sense of temperature; the heavy impasto that gives the wheat stacks a three-dimensional, sculptural presence against the hazy background.
Condition Issues
Minimal to none visible; typical light age-related craquelure common for oil on canvas of this age, though largely mitigated by professional climate control.
Conservation Recommendations
Maintain strictly controlled humidity and temperature; protect from UV light; periodic professional dusting of the frame and monitoring for stretcher tension.