Sargent’s Dreamlike Study for 'Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose'

During a summer spent in the Cotswolds in 1885, John Singer Sargent set out to paint a scene he described as “two little girls in a garden at twilight, lighting paper lanterns among the flowers.”
This oil study — focused on the elder sister, Polly Barnard — is one of the key preparatory works for 'Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose' (1885-86), Sargent’s luminous plein-air triumph.
Here, Sargent captures the soft radiance of Polly's complexion lit by her lantern, as floral forms dance against the deep green background. Painted outdoors in snatched minutes each evening before darkness fell, this study holds the same dreamlike atmosphere that would come to define his now iconic masterpiece.