Still Life with Fan and Roses1874
Thomas Hovenden painted a few still lifes in addition to his better-known genre scenes. More about this work
About this work
Thomas Hovenden painted a few still lifes in addition to his better-known genre scenes. Here, a seemingly casual arrangement of objects masks the care that Hovenden took to create a balanced composition. The arc of blooms in the lower right echoes the details of the graceful Japanese fan that anchors the painting. Clear light, luminous shadows, and a mix of humble and exotic objects evoke the golden age of Dutch still-life painting, a tradition Hovenden likely knew from his Paris teachers and his hours spent in museums.
Text from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
How it was made
- Oil paint
- Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.
Thomas Hovenden
born Dunmanway, Ireland 1840-died Plymouth Meeting, PA 1895
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Smithsonian American Art Museum has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1979.149
- Credit
- Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Type
- Painting
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
Report this work
Close in colour
