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Work In Focus: Berenice by Henri Martin

Selected dates until Sunday 24 August 2025

Duff House

This mesmerising painting was probably modelled by the artist Marie-Charlotte Barbaroux, Martin’s wife. It was inspired by a short story, Berenice, by the American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). First published in 1835, this story was translated into French by the poet Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867).

In Poe’s gruesome tale, Egaeus, the narrator, falls in love with his beautiful cousin Berenice. She suffers from a mysterious debilitating illness, causing her to fall into a trance-like state. As Berenice’s health deteriorates, Egaeus develops intense obsessions, focusing latterly on her teeth. The girl eventually dies and Egaeus is grief-stricken. He visits her grave, as if in a dream, and later discovers her extracted teeth in a box beside him. Martin seems to have been inspired by this passage from Berenice: 

From the 1890s Martin adopted the neo-impressionist technique, applying small dots of paint to the canvas, which brought him huge commercial success.

Image © National Galleries of Scotland

Thursday 26 June 2025


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Friday 27 June 2025


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Saturday 28 June 2025


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Sunday 29 June 2025


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Thursday 3 July 2025


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Friday 4 July 2025


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Saturday 5 July 2025


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Sunday 6 July 2025


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Thursday 10 July 2025


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Friday 11 July 2025


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Saturday 12 July 2025


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Sunday 13 July 2025


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Thursday 17 July 2025


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Friday 18 July 2025


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Saturday 19 July 2025


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Sunday 20 July 2025


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Thursday 24 July 2025


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Friday 25 July 2025


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Saturday 26 July 2025


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Sunday 27 July 2025


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Thursday 31 July 2025


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Friday 1 August 2025


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Saturday 2 August 2025


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Sunday 3 August 2025


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Thursday 7 August 2025


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Friday 8 August 2025


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Saturday 9 August 2025


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Sunday 10 August 2025


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Thursday 14 August 2025


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Friday 15 August 2025


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Saturday 16 August 2025


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Sunday 17 August 2025


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Thursday 21 August 2025


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Friday 22 August 2025


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Saturday 23 August 2025


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Sunday 24 August 2025


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