Painted in a sober and pure touch, in an Art Déco style, this still life is one of Boutet de Monvel's most beautiful floral compositions. Flowers and trees, especially palm trees, allow the artist to create geometrical motives with great decorative essence. He often uses a compass, which traces are observable under the pictorial layer. The painting's modernity and visual impact are reinforced by the thin dark line that the vase is set on. The composition evokes recent photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe (see Stéphane-Jacques Addade, Bernard Boutet de Monvel, op.cit. 2016 p.286). (http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2016/collection-boutet-de-monvel-pf1639/lot.53.html)