Plum

'Plum Brandy', often referred to as 'The Plum', is an exquisite oil painting known to be the work of renowned Impressionist Édouard Manet, likely crafted around 1877. The canvas measures 73.6 cm by 50.2 cm, portraying a solitary woman, seated at a café table. Echoing the somnolent pose of the woman in Degas' L'Absinthe, Manet's portrayal could hint at the life of a prostitute. Unlike Degas' disheartened subject, however, Manet's muse appears dreamy, balancing an unlit cigarette, with a brandy-soaked plum untouched before her. This piece exhibits classic genre painting practices in its intimate, everyday scene rendered in oil.