Still Life—Strawberries, Nuts, &c.
During Raphaelle Peale’s time, still lifes were relegated to the bottom of the hierarchy of painting subjects. Peale, however, ignored their low status and is now acknowledged as America’s first professional still-life painter and leading practitioner. In this particularly fine example, the rhythmic balance of fruit, nuts, and Chinese-export porcelain is enlivened by the diagonal branch of grapes becoming raisins and an orange leaf.
Colors in this work
Details
- Artist
- Raphaelle Peale
- Date
- 1822
- Medium
- Oil on wood panel
- Dimensions
- 41.1 × 57.8 cm (16 3/16 × 22 3/4 in.)
- Origin
- Philadelphia
- Department
- Arts of the Americas
- Holding institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Palette
-
Select a color to find related artworks.
- Image provider
- art-institute-chicago
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Gift of Jamee J. and Marshall Field
Art Genome Taxonomy
12 tags
Subject Matter
-
Still Life Both · 99%
The metadata identifies the work as a still life, and the image visibly presents an arranged grouping of inanimate food, vessels, and tableware.
-
Food Both · 99%
Strawberries, an orange, nuts, and dried grapes or raisins are the central visible subjects, and the catalog explicitly lists food, orange, strawberries, and nuts.
Visual Qualities
-
Dark Colors Both · 94%
The image has a nearly black background and deep brown shadows, and the metadata emphasizes Peale’s meticulous rendering of varied surfaces and forms.
-
Balance Both · 91%
The objects are arranged in a measured horizontal balance, which is also described in the catalog as a rhythmic balance of fruit, nuts, and porcelain.
Medium and Techniques
-
Oil Painting Metadata · 99%
The museum metadata specifies the medium as oil on wood panel.
Time Periods
-
19th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The work is dated 1822, placing it within the nineteenth century.
Geographic Regions
-
American Art Metadata · 98%
Raphaelle Peale is identified as American, and the place of origin is Philadelphia.
Materials
-
Wood Metadata · 98%
The supplied medium identifies wood panel as the support.
-
Porcelain Both · 96%
The catalog identifies Chinese porcelain made for the American market, and the image visibly shows glazed, decorated porcelain tableware.
-
Glass as Material Both · 97%
The catalog describes a glass urn, which is visibly transparent and reflective in the image.
Tableware, Vessels, and Objects
-
Tableware Both · 98%
The image shows a decorated cup, saucers, a bowl, and a pitcher; the catalog identifies porcelain and lists dining and drinking among the subjects.
-
Vessel Both · 95%
A large urn and a pitcher are prominent visible containers, while the catalog describes the large object as a glass urn.
Source & rights
Raphaelle Peale. Still Life—Strawberries, Nuts, &c.. The Art Institute of Chicago.
High-resolution sources
- IIIF image service ↗ 1,686 × 1,208 · Art Institute Chicago · Availability not yet probed