Léon Bonnat (Bayonne 1834-1922 Monchy-Saint-Éloi)

The title of the present drawing is a wry allusion to Van Dyck's famous Self Portrait with a Sunflower (Collection of the Duke of Westminster; Fig. 1). Judging himself unable to compete with the great master, Bonnat - who was one of the greatest collectors of old master drawings of his time - shows only the sunflowers, modestly keeping himself out of the picture.