Artwork
Green Plums
Green Plums is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Joseph Decker. It dates from 1885 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
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- Inscribed:lower right: J.Decker
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The choice of green plums, unripe and firm, may also suggest themes of potential and growth, aligning with broader Victorian symbolism in still-life painting.
The painting depicts a still life arrangement of green plums resting on a surface, rendered in oil on canvas by Joseph Decker in 1885. The composition centers on the fruit's glossy skins and subtle color gradations, using naturalistic detail to emphasize texture and form.
In the context of late-19th-century American still life, the image likely signifies abundance and the fleeting quality of nature's bounty, a common theme in contemporaneous still-life traditions. The choice of green plums, unripe and firm, may also suggest themes of potential and growth, aligning with broader Victorian symbolism in still-life painting.
Technique & Style
Joseph Decker's Green Plums is an oil painting executed on canvas in 1885. The work measures 22.9 cm in height and 27.8 cm in width. As a still life, the piece utilizes the traditional medium of oil paint to render its subject matter on a textile support. The painting is currently held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
History & Provenance
Joseph Decker executed the oil painting Green Plums in 1885. The work appeared at auction under the title Greenings at Christie, Manson & Woods in New York on 9 December 1983. Following the sale, the canvas was held by Berry-Hill Galleries in New York before being purchased in March 1984 by Paul Mellon and his wife of Upperville, Virginia.
The Mellons retained ownership for a decade before donating the piece to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1994, where it is now held.
Context
Joseph Decker painted Green Plums in 1885, an oil on canvas now held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Measuring 22.9 by 27.8 centimeters, it is a small, closely observed still life that exemplifies the artist's precise treatment of fruit. The work is catalogued in the National Gallery of Art's collection and discussed within broader scholarship on Decker's oeuvre.
Overview
Created circa 1885, Green Plums is an oil on canvas work by Joseph Decker, a German‑born artist who built his career in the United States. The painting belongs to the late‑19th‑century American Impressionist vein, focusing on a modest still‑life arrangement that foregrounds colour and surface.
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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.
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