Formal Still Life

Date1830-1860

MediumWatercolor, ink, and ground lead on wove paper

DimensionsPrimary Support: 14 x 10 15/16in. (35.6 x 27.8cm) and Framed: 16 1/2 x 13 3/4in.

Credit LineGift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller

Object number1936.303.1

DescriptionA compote of fruit on a slab base. Compote, base, and two rounded fruits and a bunch of grapes are rendered in very pale monochromatic tones with graphite or some similar substance, through stencils. A bunch of blue grapes hangs over edge of compote at left. Sprays of cherries are stuck in at three places, and an apple, pear, and peach appear at center front. Black ink fills the interstices.

Artist unidentified.

The 1 5/8-inch mahogany-veneered frame is probably a period replacement.
Label TextSee also 1931.303.5, where the Folk Art Museum's other examples of this design are listed. Acc. no. 1931.303.13 discusses the use of ground lead in theorem designs.
An impression of imbalance is conveyed by the contrast between the strong fruit and foliage colors and the very pale monochromatic tones of the areas rendered in lead. Conceivably, the artist might have intended suggesting glass by modeling the compote ni pale gray shades, but why the slab base adn some of the fruits were so delineated remains unanswered.
ProvenanceEdith Gregor Halpert, Downtown Gallery, New York, N.Y.; Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; Given to C. W. By Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.