Artwork
Melons and Grapes
Melons and Grapes is an oil painting by the Realist artist Chipman. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Melons and Grapes is a mid‑nineteenth‑century American still‑life oil painting on canvas attributed to Chipman, created in 1850.
Melons and Grapes is a mid‑nineteenth‑century American still‑life oil painting on canvas attributed to Chipman, created in 1850. The composition depicts a modest arrangement of sliced melons alongside a bunch of grapes, a subject typical of the still‑life genre that emphasizes everyday fruit. The work remained in New York until 1949, when it was sold to Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch; the couple later gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1957. Its provenance includes a record of exhibition at the Harry Shaw Newman Gallery’s Exhibition of American Primitives.
Technique & Style
Melons and Grapes is an oil painting executed on canvas in 1850. The work belongs to the still‑life genre and was created using oil paint applied to a stretched canvas support. Its formal qualities reflect a straightforward arrangement of fruit, typical of mid‑nineteenth‑century American still‑life practice, though specific compositional details are not documented.
The painting’s condition is recorded as part of the National Gallery of Art’s collection, having entered the museum in 1957 after passing through several private owners.
History & Provenance
The painting Melons and Grapes by Chipman was created in 1850 using oil on canvas. Its documented provenance begins with its presence in New York, leading to its appearance at the Harry Shaw Newman Gallery in New York by 1946. The gallery included the work in an exhibition titled Exhibition of American Primitives.
In 1949, the piece was sold by the gallery to collectors Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. The work subsequently entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as a gift from the Garbisches in 1957.
Melons and Grapes is part of the National Gallery of Art’s collection in Washington, D.C. The work entered the museum in 1957 as a gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, becoming accessioned under that donation. Its earlier whereabouts are documented as having been displayed at the Harry Shaw Newman Gallery in New York by 1946, and it was sold in 1949 to the Garbisches before the gift. The painting was featured in the gallery’s Exhibition of American Primitives, marking one of the first public showings of the work.
Context
Melons and Grapes (1850) is an oil on canvas still life by Chipman that entered the National Gallery of Art collection in 1957 through a gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. The work was previously in New York, where it was shown in the 1946 Harry Shaw Newman Gallery exhibition of American Primitives, a context that has shaped its scholarly interpretation as representative of mid‑century American primitive painting. Its provenance, material, and date are documented in museum records and contemporary exhibition catalogues.
Overview
Chipman's Melons and Grapes, an oil on canvas created around 1850, presents a classic still life composition. The painting focuses on a bowl brimming with fruit, prominently featuring melons and grapes, arranged on a table. This work exemplifies the artist's engagement with the genre, capturing a moment of domestic abundance through careful observation and rendering.
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