Artwork
Flowers and Fruit
Flowers and Fruit is an oil painting. It dates from 1870 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The still life depicts a modest arrangement of seasonal blooms and ripe fruit, rendered with a restrained palette that emphasizes texture and light.
The still life depicts a modest arrangement of seasonal blooms and ripe fruit, rendered with a restrained palette that emphasizes texture and light. Symbolically, the flowers suggest the fleeting nature of beauty while the fruit conveys abundance and domestic prosperity, themes common in 19th-century American painting. The work belongs to the still_life genre and reflects the genre’s focus on everyday objects arranged to convey quiet contemplation.
Its provenance traces back to New York State, where it entered the collection of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch before being gifted to the National Gallery of Art in 1953.
Technique & Style
Flowers and Fruit is an oil painting executed on a canvas support, created in 1870 by an American artist of the 19th century. The work measures 75.5 cm in height and 56 cm in width, presenting a formal composition classified within the still-life genre. As a product of the 19th-century American tradition, the piece employs oil paint to render its subject matter, adhering to the material conventions of its era. The painting is currently held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
History & Provenance
Flowers and Fruit is an oil on canvas painting created in 1870 by an American artist of the 19th century. It entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having been purchased in 1949 by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, who subsequently gifted it to the museum in 1953. The work remains in the National Gallery of Art's collection. It measures 75.5 cm in height and 56 cm in width.
Flowers and Fruit is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It was recorded as originating from New York State and purchased in 1949 by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, who later gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1953.
The work measures 75.5 cm in height by 56 cm in width and is classified as an oil on canvas painting from 1870.
It has been part of the National Gallery of Art's collection since 1953.
Context
The painting titled Flowers and Fruit is an 1870 oil on canvas work by an American 19th-century artist, created during a period when still-life painting was gaining prominence in the United States. Its composition reflects the realist tradition, emphasizing careful observation and naturalistic detail. The work was recorded as originating from New York State and later entered the collection of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, who gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1953. Today it remains part of the National Gallery of Art's collection in Washington, D.C. []
Scholarly attention to the piece has focused on its stylistic connections to 19th-century American realism and its role within the broader development of domestic still-life subjects in post-Civil War American art. As part of the National Gallery of Art's collection, it contributes to the understanding of American artistic output during the Gilded Age, particularly in how everyday objects were rendered with both aesthetic and symbolic significance. []
The work is cataloged in major art historical databases, including the National Gallery of Art's records and the Getty Vocabulary Program, affirming its attribution to the American 19th-century school. Its dimensions measure 75.5 cm by 56 cm, consistent with typical compositions of the period. []
Overview
The canvas presents a domestic still‑life composition in which a white vase edged with gold holds a mixed bouquet of tulips, daisies and hydrangeas. Arranged beside the vase are assorted fruits, orange, pear and clusters of grapes, resting on a table draped with a checkered, fringed cloth. The work is executed in oil, balancing careful detail with a looser handling of light.
Artist & collection
