When the Parisian art dealer Charles Ephrussi paid Édouard Manet for a still life of asparagus in 1880, he sent the artist 200 francs—more than the agreed price. In response, Manet painted a small, witty companion piece, A Bundle of Asparagus, and delivered it to Ephrussi with the note: "There was one missing from your bundle." This playful exchange has become one of the most charming anecdotes in the history of artist-patron relationships, revealing Manet’s humor and the warm rapport he enjoyed with his supporters. The painting presents a modest heap of white asparagus stalks, their pale tips tinged with violet, resting on a bed of green leaves against a dark, undefined background. The eye is drawn to the subtle interplay of color and the creamy texture of the spears, rendered with loose, confident brushwork that suggests both freshness and fragility.

Unlike the meticulously arranged vegetables in Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin’s 18th-century still lifes, Manet’s asparagus appear casually placed, as if just set down from the market. The light falls from the left, highlighting the delicate sheen of moisture and the slight purpling at the tips—details that transform a simple vegetable into a subject worthy of close attention. A Bundle of Asparagus remains a testament to Manet’s late-career fascination with still life, a genre he returned to repeatedly in the 1870s and 1880s as his health declined. The painting stayed in Ephrussi’s collection for many years before passing into public hands; today, it is housed in the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne.

While not as famous as his portraits or café scenes, this work is cherished for its intimacy and wit, and it stands as a quiet reminder of the artist’s enduring inventiveness, even in the simplest of subjects.