Artwork
Still Life with Box of Jelly Bread Salver with Glass and Cooler
Still Life with Box of Jelly Bread Salver with Glass and Cooler is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Luis Egidio Meléndez. It dates from 1770 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado. Luis Egidio Meléndaz painted Still Life with Box of Jelly Bread, Salver with Glass and Cooler in 1770.
About this work
Overview
Luis Egidio Meléndaz painted Still Life with Box of Jelly Bread, Salver with Glass and Cooler in 1770. Executed in oil on canvas, the work presents a modest arrangement of everyday foodstuffs and tableware rendered with meticulous attention to surface and light. It belongs to the late‑Baroque, Rococo‑influenced period of Spanish art and is presently in the Museo del Prado’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The composition gathers a partially opened bread box, a shallow serving tray holding a glass, a cooler, and a solitary fork on a dark wooden tabletop. By focusing on ordinary provisions, Meléndaz elevates the humble objects to a study of materiality, inviting contemplation of domestic abundance and the quiet rituals of the 18th‑century Spanish household.
Technique & Style
Meléndaz employs a restrained chiaroscuro, letting the deep, muted background amplify the luminous textures of crust, glass, and metal. The oil paint is applied with fine brushwork that captures the crumbly surface of the bread, the reflective sheen of the glass, and the polished metal of the cooler, exemplifying his reputation for precise rendering of form and light.
History & Provenance
Created toward the end of Meléndaz’s career, the painting was not widely celebrated during his lifetime, and the artist died in poverty. It entered the Museo del Prado’s holdings in the 20th century, where it has been re‑evaluated as a significant example of Spanish still‑life painting.
Context
In the 1770s, Spanish still‑life painters were increasingly influenced by the Rococo’s decorative elegance while retaining a sober realism. Meléndaz’s work reflects this synthesis, combining a decorative arrangement with a truthful observation of texture, aligning him with contemporaries who sought to document everyday material culture.
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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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