Artwork
Melon and Lemon
Melon and Lemon is an oil painting. It is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:falsely signed and dated, lower left: P Gauguin 91
About this work
Technique & Style
Melon and Lemon is an oil on canvas laid on wood, a support combination that provides a rigid backing beneath the painted surface.
Melon and Lemon is an oil on canvas laid on wood, a support combination that provides a rigid backing beneath the painted surface. The work is relatively small, measuring 36.8 cm in height by 29.9 cm in width. As a still life, the composition focuses on the titular fruit subjects, executed in oil paint in a manner consistent with French painting of the period around 1900.
The painting is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it entered through the 1970 bequest of Ailsa Mellon Bruce.
No further details about specific brushwork, palette, or current condition are documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
The painting, dated 1900, is attributed to a French artist active in the 19th century. Its documented ownership begins with Captain Edward H. Molyneux of Paris, who held the work by 1952. On August 15, 1955, Molyneux sold the piece to Ailsa Mellon Bruce in New York.
Following her death, the painting entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as part of her bequest in 1970. These provenance details are recorded in the gallery's curatorial files and the Ailsa Mellon Bruce notebook held in its archives.
Melon and Lemon is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its inventory number is 1970.17.153. The work entered the collection through a bequest from Ailsa Mellon Bruce in 1970, having previously been owned by Capt. Edward H. Molyneux and sold to Bruce in 1955. It was exhibited in the National Gallery of Art's "French Paintings: 1800-1900" exhibition in 1972.
The painting is cataloged in the National Gallery of Art's collection records and was featured in the 1972 exhibition at the institution.
Context
Melon and Lemon is an oil on canvas painting created in 1900 by a French artist of the 19th century. The work entered the National Gallery of Art collection through a series of documented transfers: it was owned by Capt. Edward H. Molyneux in Paris by 1952, sold to Ailsa Mellon Bruce in New York on 15 August 1955, and later bequeathed to the museum in 1970. Its dimensions measure 36.8 by 29.9 centimeters, and it remains part of the National Gallery of Art's collection in Washington, D.C.
Overview
Melon and Lemon is an oil painting executed on a wooden panel. The composition presents a modest still‑life arrangement, featuring a single melon and a lemon positioned side by side. The limited subject matter and restrained placement create a quiet visual field, inviting close observation of the objects’ forms and hues.
Subject & Meaning
The work isolates two common fruits, allowing their contrasting shapes and colors to become the focal point. By reducing the scene to these elements, the artist emphasizes the natural geometry of the melon’s roundness against the lemon’s elongated form, encouraging contemplation of everyday objects as subjects worthy of artistic attention.
Artist & collection
