The best-loved painting by Léon Bonnat is Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (also known as La Lutte de Jacob) (1876). Portrait of Isaac Dignus Fransen van de Putte (1822-1902). Colonial Minister (1863-66, 1872-74) (1879) and Self-portrait (1918) (1918) come next among the canvases readers know best. Our catalogue holds 141 works by Léon Bonnat: here are the 100 most famous, each with its year, its museum and what makes it memorable.
Ranked by our popularity score, which combines the searches, visits and orders for each work. Updated October 2026. Each painting on this page can be ordered as an oil reproduction painted by hand on linen canvas, or as a fine art print, made to the size you choose.
The work before us is titled Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, though it is frequently referred to by its French name, La Lutte de Jacob. This piece was painted by Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat in 1876. It is a significant example of the artist's engagement with religious narratives, rendered with a focus on the physical reality of the struggle depicted.
A single light source carves the face of Isaac Dignus Fransen van de Putte from a heavy, ink-black void. He sits with a rigid, vertical posture, his presence defined by the sharp contrast between a pale, starched collar and the deep shadows of his frock coat. The light catches the high ridge of his forehead and the steady gaze of a man accustomed to the gravity of statecraft. There is…
An elderly man sits within a frame of shadow and light. His face, etched with the textures of many years, turns toward the right while his eyes lock onto the viewer. A white beard descends in soft, defined strokes, catching the pale light that enters from the upper left. The background is a quiet expanse of ochre, burnt sienna, and deep umber, pressing close to the subject. He wears a…
A single figure stands in profile, caught in a moment of quiet stillness. The woman is draped in a gown of cool, light blue satin that catches the directional light from the upper left. This luminous fabric flows downward in heavy, sweeping folds, ending in delicate ruffles at the hem. Against the deep, warm umber and sienna tones of the background, the blue of her dress pulls the eye forward.…
The air in the chamber feels heavy, thick with the weight of a crown and the silence of a long-passed era. Standing before us, King Fruela II of Asturias commands the space with a stillness that feels almost monumental. He is draped in a mantle of deep, saturated crimson, a color so intense it seems to pulse against the dark, shadowy void behind him. This red is not merely a…
The room holds its breath as an elderly gentleman sits anchored in his chair. He is John Taylor Johnston, and the weight of his years settles around him in soft, muted tones. Light drifts in from the left, a gentle illumination that carves his features out of the surrounding shadows. It catches the silver of his beard and the subtle folds of his dark suit, lending a tangible volume to…
The Portrait of the count of Montalivet is an oil on canvas work by the French painter Léon Bonnat. It captures the likeness of Camille Bachasson, comte de Montalivet, a man who lived from 1801 to 1880. The painting was executed in 1878.
Léon Bonnat executed this oil on canvas in 1883, capturing the likeness of Levi Parsons Morton. The portrait presents the sitter in a formal, three-quarter length pose, establishing a sense of authority through a structured silhouette and a dark, atmospheric background. The composition focuses entirely on the subject, utilizing a directional light source from the upper left to define the facial features and hands against deep shadows.
This oil on canvas portrait, executed in 1864, presents a close-up view of Ceferino Araujo Sánchez. The subject is a man with a dark beard and mustache, positioned…
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This oil on canvas portrait, executed in 1896, presents a bust-length view of an elderly man positioned slightly off-center. The subject looks directly toward the viewer with a…
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In this intimate close-up bust view, "Self-portrait / Portrait of a young Man" by Léon Bonnat presents a moment of profound psychological stillness. The subject sits slightly off-center,…
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In this three-quarter length portrait, Léon Bonnat presents Anna L. R. S. Morton with a quiet, commanding presence. The subject is positioned slightly off-center, set against a dark…
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In this 1896 oil on canvas, we encounter Henry Field through a lens of quiet, academic dignity. The subject is presented in a three-quarter length view, his gaze…
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To stand before An Egyptian Peasant Woman and Her Child is to be transported across continents and decades, drawn into the quiet intimacy of a moment captured under…
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The Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat painting, Jules Grévy, is a masterpiece of French art from the 19th century. Created in 1880, this oil on canvas portrait is a…
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The four subjects that return most often on these canvases, each with its best-loved example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Léon Bonnat | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Musée d'Orsay |
Paris | 15 | Portrait of a woman, Portrait of the count of Montalivet, Self-portrait / Portrait of a young Man |
 Petit Palais |
Paris | 8 | Sketch for the ceiling of the courtroom of the Cour des Assises of the Palais de Justice in Paris: Justice, Sketch for the courtroom of the Cour des Assises of the Palais de Justice in Paris: Justice protecting the weak, Portrait of Madame Georges Ehrler |
 Musée Bonnat-Helleu |
Bayonne | 7 | Self-portrait at the age of 17, Portrait of Marie Bonnat, the artist's sister, Begging scene |
 Walters Art Museum |
Baltimore | 6 | An Arab Sheik, Portrait of George Aloysius Lucas, The Hand of Antoine-Louis Barye |
 Hermitage Museum |
Saint Petersburg | 4 | Portrait of Prince Viacheslav Tenishev, Fountain by the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome, In the Mountains |
 Museo del Prado |
Madrid | 3 | Self-portrait (1918), Fruela II of Asturias (king of Asturias from 910 to 925), The painter Ceferino Araujo Sánchez |
 Metropolitan Museum of Art |
New York | 3 | John Taylor Johnston (1820 1893), An Egyptian Peasant Woman and Her Child |
 Condé Museum |
Chantilly | 3 | BERNIER LOUIS, PORTRAIT DU GENERAL HENRI D'ORLEANS, DUC D'AUMALE (1880) |
The air in the chamber feels heavy, thick with the weight of a crown and the silence of a long-passed era. Standing before us, King Fruela II of…
This oil on canvas portrait, executed in 1864, presents a close-up view of Ceferino Araujo Sánchez. The subject is a man with a dark beard and mustache, positioned…
The work before us is titled Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, though it is frequently referred to by its French name, La Lutte de Jacob. This piece was…
A single figure stands in profile, caught in a moment of quiet stillness. The woman is draped in a gown of cool, light blue satin that catches the…
This oil on canvas portrait, executed in 1896, presents a bust-length view of an elderly man positioned slightly off-center. The subject looks directly toward the viewer with a…
An elderly man sits within a frame of shadow and light. His face, etched with the textures of many years, turns toward the right while his eyes lock…
Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (also known as La Lutte de Jacob) (1876), followed by Portrait of Isaac Dignus Fransen van de Putte (1822-1902). Colonial Minister (1863-66, 1872-74) (1879) and Self-portrait (1918) (1918).
Léon Bonnat, born in 1833, was 43 years old: Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (also known as La Lutte de Jacob) dates from 1876.
Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (also known as La Lutte de Jacob), Portrait of Isaac Dignus Fransen van de Putte (1822-1902). Colonial Minister (1863-66, 1872-74), Self-portrait (1918), ADAM ET EVE TROUVANT LE CORPS D'ABEL, Portrait of a woman, Fruela II of Asturias (king of Asturias from 910 to 925), John Taylor Johnston (1820–1893), Portrait of the count of Montalivet, Levi Parsons Morton and The Martyrdom of Saint Denis (also known as Martyr de Saint Denis). Each canvas in the ranking above comes with its year and its museum.
141 works by Léon Bonnat are in our catalogue, dated 1850 to 1918.
Mostly in Musée d'Orsay (Paris), Petit Palais (Paris) and Musée Bonnat-Helleu (Bayonne); the list above names each museum and its canvases.
In 1880s, which gave 22 of the 100 works on this page, Portrait of a woman among them.
The earliest canvas here is Portrait of Louise Lienhard (1850); the latest is Self-portrait (1918) (1918).
Man (10), Portrait (6) and Dark background (5), across the 100 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, used in 13 of the 100 works on this page.
Academic art and Realism, as the canvases on this page show.
The Musée d'Orsay, Paris holds 11 of the works on this page, among them Portrait of a woman, Portrait of the count of Montalivet and Self-portrait / Portrait of a young Man.
Yes. Every painting on this page can be ordered from its own page as an oil reproduction painted by hand, or as a fine art print, in the size you choose.
