Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 141 works by Léon Bonnat in our catalogue
In short
Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (also known as La Lutte de Jacob) (1876) is the Léon Bonnat painting that draws the most eyes. After it, the eye goes to Portrait of Isaac Dignus Fransen van de Putte (1822-1902). Colonial Minister (1863-66, 1872-74) (1879) and Self-portrait (1918) (1918). Among the 141 works of Léon Bonnat in our catalog, these 100 are the most famous, each a unique original presented with its year, its museum and the reason it endures.
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.
The painter Ceferino Araujo Sánchez1864 · Museo del Prado
12
Self-Portrait1896 · National Gallery Prague
13
Self-portrait / Portrait of a young Man1855 · Musée d'Orsay
14
Portrait of Louise Lienhard1850
15
Self-portrait at the age of 171850 · Musée Bonnat-Helleu
16
Portrait of Marie Bonnat, the artist's sister1851 · Musée Bonnat-Helleu
17
Young woman doing charity at the entrance to the chapel of San Sebastián Hospital in Cordoba1863 · Goya Museum
18
Portrait of Jean Léglise, Merchant, Mayor of Saint-Martin-de-Seignanx1868 · Cleveland Museum of Art
19
The victim1870 · National Museum of Fine Arts
20
An Arab Sheik1870 · Walters Art Museum
21
Begging scene1865 · Musée Bonnat-Helleu
22
Portrait of an unidentified woman1868 · Carnavalet Museum
23
Sketch for the ceiling of the courtroom of the Cour des Assises of the Palais de Justice in Paris: Justice1869 · Petit Palais
24
Sketch for the courtroom of the Cour des Assises of the Palais de Justice in Paris: Justice protecting the weak1866 · Petit Palais
25
An oriental barbershop1872 · Pushkin State Museum
26
Adolphe Thiers1876
27
Portrait of Marguerite Franchetti1875 · Musée Bonnat-Helleu
28
Victor Hugo on his deathbed1885 · Musée Victor Hugo
29
Louisa Lee Schuyler1879 · New York Historical Society
30
Precious Moments1880 · Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
31
Portrait of George Aloysius Lucas1885 · Walters Art Museum
32
Portrait de Monseigneur Félix-Arsène Billard1883
33
Italian Girl1880 · Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute
34
Don't cry1879 · Musée Des Beaux Arts
35
George Lee Schuyler (1811-1890)1883 · New York Historical Society
36
Portrait of Madame Georges Ehrler1880 · Petit Palais
37
John Taylor Johnston (1820 1893)1880 · Metropolitan Museum of Art
38
Interior of the Sistine Chapel1880
39
Ernest Renan1892
40
Anna L. R. S. Morton1884 · National Portrait Gallery
41
Portrait of Henry Field1896 · Art Institute of Chicago
42
Portrait of Auguste Cain1889 · Petit Palais
43
Portrait of Henri Harpignies1889 · Petit Palais
44
Job1888
45
Portrait of Aimilia Salvagou1894 · National Gallery
46
Henry Lillie Pierce1895 · Museum of Fine Arts
47
George Martin Lane (1823-1897)1894 · Harvard Art Museums
48
Portrait of Prince Viacheslav Tenishev1896 · Hermitage Museum
49
The broken pitcher (version with ciocie)1900
50
The broken pitcher (barefoot version)1900
51
A little accident1900
52
Portrait de Madame Dubernet by Léon Bonnat1899 · Petit Palais
53
An Egyptian Peasant Woman and Her Child1869 · Metropolitan Museum of Art
54
Portrait of Charles Ephrussi1906
55
Portrait of Georges Cain (1853-1919), painter and literary man1909 · Carnavalet Museum
56
Christ on the CrossPetit Palais
57
Jules Grévy1880
58
Head of a White Horse1850 · Scottish National Gallery
59
Kneeling girl in prayer (study for ^quot;Pilgrims at the Foot of the Statue of Saint Peter in Saint Peter's Church in Rome^quot;)1864
60
An Egyptian Peasant Woman and Her Child1869
61
An Egyptian Peasant Woman and Her Child1870
62
Fountain by the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome1868 · Hermitage Museum
63
Madame Pasca1874 · Musée d'Orsay
64
Italian Woman with Child1872 · Musée Bonnat-Helleu
65
Léon Gambetta1875 · Musée d'Orsay
66
Mary Sears (later Mrs. Francis Shaw)1878 · Museum of Fine Arts
67
Henry White1882 · National Gallery of Art
68
Jean Gigoux1880 · Musée Des Beaux
69
In the Mountains1879 · Hermitage Museum
70
Sketch for the Salon des Arts at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris: The glorification of Art1888 · Petit Palais
71
French priest Pierre Bienvenu Noailles1889
72
Joseph Dreyfus1890
73
Idylle1890 · Musée Bonnat-Helleu
74
Pasteur and his granddaughter Camille Vallery-Radot1886 · Musée Pasteur
75
The Hand of Antoine-Louis Barye1897 · Walters Art Museum
76
Eagle and Rabbit1897
77
Portrait du docteur Adrien Doyon
78
Portrait de Joseph Reinach (1856 1921)Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg
79
JULES GREVY, PRESIDENT DE LA REPUBLIQUE (1807 1891)
80
LEON GAMBETTA (1838 1892)
81
ALEXANDRE DUMAS FILS (1824 1895)Musée d'Orsay
82
LOUIS ADOLPHE THIERS, PRESIDENT DE LA REPUBLIQUE (1797 1877)
83
MADAME PASCA
84
ISAAC PEREIRE (1806 1880)
85
Victor Hugo (1802 1885)Musée Victor Hugo
86
Le cardinal Charles Lavigerie, archevêque d'Alger (1825 1892)Musée d'Orsay
87
BERNIER LOUISCondé Museum
88
Autoportrait
89
JOSEPH DREYFUSMusée d'Orsay
90
Portrait de Monsieur CernuschiMusée Cernuschi
91
Maître Edouard Pascal
92
PORTRAIT DE L'ARTISTEMusée d'Orsay
93
LA MARQUISE FEYDEAU DE BROUMusée d'Orsay
94
Portrait de Louis Hector Leroux
95
Portrait de M. Daniel Guestier
96
Portrait du Vicomte Both de Tauzia
97
Madame Maurice Pascal et son chien Tiny
98
PORTRAIT DU GENERAL HENRI D'ORLEANS, DUC D'AUMALE (1880)Condé Museum
99
MADAME BONNAT
100
PORTRAIT DE L'ARTISTE AU CHAPEAUMusée d'Orsay
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest 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) |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
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…
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 centrally within the frame. His gaze is directed slightly downward, creating a sense of quiet introspection. The lighting is directional, originating from the upper left, which casts the right side of his face and the background into deep shadow. This technique produces…
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 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.…
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 weary and contemplative expression. His face is marked by the textures of age, with light originating from the upper left to cast shadows across the right side of his features, defining the forehead, cheekbone, and skin texture. A stark white beard and…
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…
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.
43 years old: Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (also known as La Lutte de Jacob) dates from 1876, and Léon Bonnat was born in 1833.
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). The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 141 works by Léon Bonnat, dated from 1850 to 1918.
Mostly in Musée d'Orsay (Paris), Petit Palais (Paris) and Musée Bonnat-Helleu (Bayonne). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1880s: 22 of the 100 works on this page were made then, Portrait of a woman among them.
On this page, the earliest is Portrait of Louise Lienhard (1850) and the latest Self-portrait (1918) (1918).
Man (10), Portrait (6) and Dark background (5), across the 100 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, for 13 of the 100 works on this page.
Academic art and Realism, judging by the originals on this page.
Portrait of a woman, Portrait of the count of Montalivet and Self-portrait / Portrait of a young Man: the Musée d'Orsay, Paris holds 11 of the works on this page.
Yes, as a reproduction: the original stays in its museum, but any painting on this page can be painted by hand for you, made to order one at a time, from the painting's own page.
