As a member of Courbet’s ‘Realist’ movement and as a friend to younger painters such as Fantin-Latour and Whistler, Bonvin became an influential figure. He was awarded the Légion d’Honneur in 1870. A greater understanding of the extraordinary period in which he lived has led to a renewed appreciation of the quieter, more subjective paintings of the whole ‘Chardin revival’ movement.