Still Life with Fruit

Severin Roesen, Still Life with Fruit, 1852, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Maria Alice Murphy in memory of her brother Colonel Edward J. Murphy, Jr. and museum purchase through the Director's Discretionary Fund, 1981.114
Severin Roesen, Still Life with Fruit, 1852, oil on canvas, 34 x 43 7⁄8 in. (86.5 x 111.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Maria Alice Murphy in memory of her brother Colonel Edward J. Murphy, Jr. and museum purchase through the Director’s Discretionary Fund, 1981.114
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Artwork Details

Title
Still Life with Fruit
Artist
Date
1852
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
34 x 43 7⁄8 in. (86.5 x 111.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Maria Alice Murphy in memory of her brother Colonel Edward J. Murphy, Jr. and museum purchase through the Director’s Discretionary Fund
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Still life — fruit — apple
  • Still life — fruit — pineapple
  • Still life — other — container
  • Still life — other — dish
  • Still life — fruit — watermelon
  • Still life — fruit — grape
  • Still life — fruit — berry
  • Still life — fruit — lemon
Object Number
1981.114
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1981.114

Artwork Description

Severin Roesen's still life celebrates an American harvest and the promise of more to come. The split pomegranate and half-eaten melon carry the seeds of next year's planting, while the glass of champagne invites a quiet moment of appreciation. Roesen was among many Germans who fled their country's political troubles of 1848. They brought with them a level of craftsmanship that found a ready market among Americans whose prosperity matched the natural abundance the artist captured here. These new Americans, whose dreams of democratic reform in Europe had been crushed, also brought to this country a liberal social conscience that played a significant role in the abolition of slavery.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006