Artwork
Still Life with Sausages Ham and Vessels
Still Life with Sausages Ham and Vessels is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Luis Egidio Meléndez. It dates from 1772 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
These elements combine to represent a straightforward observation of everyday provisions, characteristic of the artist's approach to the genre.
Painted in 1772, this still life by Luis Egidio Meléndez presents a focused arrangement of foodstuffs and domestic objects. The composition explicitly depicts sausages and ham alongside various vessels, establishing a scene of culinary preparation or consumption. A knife is included among the items, suggesting the act of slicing or serving the cured meats.
The presence of a lebrillo, a traditional shallow earthenware basin, anchors the work in a specific Spanish vernacular context. These elements combine to represent a straightforward observation of everyday provisions, characteristic of the artist's approach to the genre.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil paint on canvas, the composition measures 41 cm in height by 62 cm in width. The work belongs to the still life genre and depicts a knife and a lebrillo among its subject matter. As a painting by Luis Egidio Meléndez dated 1772, the piece reflects his characteristic handling of the still life format, with the modest dimensions supporting an intimate, closely observed arrangement of the depicted vessels and foodstuffs.
History & Provenance
Still Life with Sausages Ham and Vessels is an oil painting on canvas created in 1772 by Luis Egidio Meléndez. It entered the collection of Ferdinand VII of Spain before being accessioned by the Museo del Prado, where it remains on display at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.
Still Life with Sausages Ham and Vessels is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado, where it is listed under inventory number P00968. The work entered the royal collection through ownership by Ferdinand VII of Spain and has remained in the museum’s holdings since accession. It was displayed in the Prado’s 19th‑century Spanish paintings galleries and featured in the 1995 exhibition "Spanish Still Lifes from the Royal Collection," which traveled to the Museo Thyssen‑Bornemisza.
Context
Still Life with Sausages Ham and Vessels, painted by Luis Egidio Meléndez in 1772, exemplifies the refined Spanish still life tradition of the late 18th century, emphasizing meticulous detail and compositional balance. The work features a knife and lebrillo set against a table with sausages and ham, reflecting both domestic abundance and symbolic richness characteristic of aristocratic Spanish culture. Held in the Museo del Prado collection, it was acquired from Ferdinand VII of Spain, underscoring its historical significance within royal patronage.
Scholarship on Meléndez often situates this painting within his broader oeuvre of banquet scenes, highlighting his role in advancing still life as a genre worthy of artistic contemplation.
Overview
Luis Egidio Meléndez’s oil painting Still Life with Sausages, Ham and Vessels (1772) presents a modest tabletop arrangement of food and kitchenware. The composition centers on a sliced ham, a string of sausages, a knife, a clay pot and a small green bowl with fruit, all set against a dark, neutral background that isolates the objects and emphasizes their materiality.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Luis Egidio Meléndez (1716–1780) was a Spanish painter. Though he received little acclaim during his lifetime and died in poverty, Meléndez is recognized as one of the greatest Spanish still-life painters of the 18th…
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Bodegón con pichones cesta de comida y cuencos
