Formal Still Life

Date1835-1860

MediumReverse oil painting on glass, backed with tin foil

DimensionsUnframed: 16 x 12in. (40.6 x 30.5cm) and Framed: 17 1/2 x 13 1/2in.

Credit LineGift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller

Object number1931.508.1

DescriptionA reverse glass painting of fruit in a footed compote on a slab, the whole given a reflective quality by a tin foil backing. A flower sprig appears at top.
The 1 1/4-inch molded and stained frame with gilded liner is possibly original.

Label TextDramatic interplay between dark, usually black, backgrounds and foil embellished subjects produced the bold contrasts typical of tinsel, or oriental painting. After outlining the design on glass, the shapes were filled with transparent oil colors; when dry, the whole was backed with tin foil, or tinsel, either smooth or crimped, in simulation of the effect achieved by mother-of-pearl in some oriental work.
Imprecise detail and corresponding emphasis on radiant color call attention to the meticulous demands of the medium, as well as to the inexperienced hand that produced this tinsel version of the so-called "Formal Still Life" composition. The sprig of small flowers at the top has been painted white, perhaps representing a lily-of-the-valley. In the Folk Art Museum's other examples of this design, the flowers are blue, probably representing bluebells.ProvenanceFound in Maine by Edith Gregor Halpert, Downtown Gallery, New York, NY; purchased from Halpert by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller