Artwork
Grapes
Grapes is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Joseph Decker. It dates from 1892 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created circa 1892, this oil on canvas presents a modest still‑life of a grape cluster set upon an unadorned tabletop.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right: J.DECker.
About this work
Technique & Style
Joseph Decker's Grapes (1892) is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 22.9 cm in height and 30.5 cm in width. Classified as a painting, the piece was created in 1892 and is currently held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
History & Provenance
While specific inventory numbers are not provided in the available records, the work's transfer history establishes its current institutional residence.
Joseph Decker painted Grapes in 1892 as an oil on canvas work. Berry-Hill Galleries in New York sold the painting in January 1986 to Paul and Virginia Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. The Mellons later gifted the artwork to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains in the collection.
The painting Grapes by Joseph Decker is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its provenance traces from Berry-Hill Galleries in New York to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia, following a sale in January 1986. The Mellons subsequently gifted the work to the museum in 1994. While specific inventory numbers are not provided in the available records, the work's transfer history establishes its current institutional residence.
Overview
Created circa 1892, this oil on canvas presents a modest still‑life of a grape cluster set upon an unadorned tabletop. The composition is restrained, focusing on the fruit’s form and surface rather than elaborate background, and reflects the artist’s interest in everyday, edible subjects.
Subject & Meaning
The painting isolates a handful of glossy grapes, inviting close observation of their texture and the way light plays across their skins. By emphasizing ordinary food, the work aligns with a late‑19th‑century tendency to elevate commonplace objects to subjects worthy of artistic attention.
Context
At the time, American artists were adapting European Impressionist principles to domestic scenes, often focusing on still‑life motifs that highlighted the sensory qualities of ordinary objects. This painting exemplifies that cross‑Atlantic exchange, merging Impressionist light effects with a distinctly American subject matter.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Joseph Decker (May 1853 – 1 April 1924) was a German-born American painter who specialized in still-lifes. His subjects were mostly of edible, rather than man-made objects.
