Artwork
Still Life with Herring, Bread, and Cheese
Still Life with Herring, Bread, and Cheese is an unspecified painting by the Impressionist artist Alexandre Gabriel Decamps. It dates from 1858 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Still Life with Herring, Bread, and Cheese is a painting that forms a pair with Still Life with Pipe and Matches, both of which were part of a series decorating the artist's dining room.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts everyday objects: smoked herrings, bread, cheese, a silver goblet, and a clay pitcher on a dark surface. A Latin inscription on the work translates to 'How virtuous and how great to live with simple things,' suggesting a reflection on the value of simplicity.
Technique & Style
The artist's focus on texture is evident in the rendering of various surfaces, from the skin of the herrings to the crust of the bread and cheese. Thick paint application, possibly using impasto, enhances the tactile quality of these objects, creating a sense of realism.
History & Provenance
The painting was created for the artist's own dining room as part of a series representing different stages of a meal.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps was a French painter noted for his Orientalist works.
Still Life with a Herring
Still Life with Herring, Wine and Bread
Still Life with Herrings
Still life of laid table with cheese
Still Life with Herrings
Still life with a herring
Still Life with Stoneware Jug, Wine Glass, Herring, and Bread
Still Life with Pipe and Matches and Still Life with Herring, Bread, and Cheese (pair)