[2] It was purchased from the artist by the dealer-patron Paul Durand-Ruel and bought in 1923 (for $125,000) from his son by industrialist Duncan Phillips, who spent a decade in pursuit of the work.

[3][4] It is now in The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.[5] It shows a richness of form, a fluidity of brush stroke, and a flickering light.

The painting, combining figures, still-life, and landscape in one work, depicts a group of Renoir's friends relaxing on a balcony at the Maison Fournaise restaurant along the Seine river in Chatou, France.

The painting is thought to show the influence of Italian Renaissance painter Paolo Veronese on Renoir's style, in particular, The Wedding Feast at Cana (1563), one of Renoir's favorite Veronese paintings at the Louvre, which depicts a similar banquet theme to that of the Luncheon.

Alternatively, Le Figaro published Albert Wolff's comment on March 2, 1882: "If he had learned to draw, Renoir would have a very pretty picture..."[9]