Floor plan

South wing: ThemesStill Life

Still Life

Great Indian Fruit Bat, by Bhawani Das, ca. 1777–82
A bouquet of flowers against a dark brown background hangs from a sapphire-blue bow to fill this vertical still life painting. The three largest blooms make a pyramid at the center. A pale pink, flat-leaved carnation is to the lower right of this trio. A red and white striped tulip with flame-shaped petals is next to it, to our right, and a white viburnum bloom, which is made of dozens of smaller clusters, is above. A tan-colored spider builds a web at the center of these three blossoms. Using the face of a clock to work around this trio, we find a spotted bug on a smaller viburnum and some frosty green leaves at noon. A muted orange moth rests on a stalk nearby. Down the right side, the layered vivid blue petals of a love-in-the-mist explode like a starburst. Two coral-red peonies, a mostly closed peony, a topaz-blue morning glory, and the fuzzy fingers of amaranth bring us to six o’clock. Up the left side are delicate pink crab apple blossoms, a spray of Chinese lanterns, a yellow rose with ants crawling across its splayed petals, a striped morning glory, and a few blue, orange, and red buds. A caterpillar rears up on a Chinese lantern bud and a ladybug sits on a leaf nearby. A few stalks of wheat are scattered throughout. Stems weave through the blue ribbon at the top, which is tied around a protruding nail. The artist signed the lower left corner, “AB Mignon f,” with the AB conjoined in a monogram.
Still-life painting, fish, open oysters, eel, lemon on tablecloth.
A work made of oil on canvas.
Basket of Fruit, c. 1830
Pomegranates and Other Fruit in a Landscape, by Abraham Brueghel
Still Life—Violin and Music, by William Michael Harnett, 1888
A work made of oil on panel.

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

A table, a vessel, a few things arranged under a window: still life gave painters a subject they could control completely, and they used it to test light, texture and the passing of time. The genre's quiet surface often carries a moral about abundance and decay.

North wall

  1. Great Indian Fruit Bat, by Bhawani Das, ca. 1777–82
    Great Indian Fruit BatBhawani Das, ca. 1777–82Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. A bouquet of flowers against a dark brown background hangs from a sapphire-blue bow to fill this vertical still life painting. The three largest blooms make a pyramid at the center. A pale pink, flat-leaved carnation is to the lower right of this trio. A red and white striped tulip with flame-shaped petals is next to it, to our right, and a white viburnum bloom, which is made of dozens of smaller clusters, is above. A tan-colored spider builds a web at the center of these three blossoms. Using the face of a clock to work around this trio, we find a spotted bug on a smaller viburnum and some frosty green leaves at noon. A muted orange moth rests on a stalk nearby. Down the right side, the layered vivid blue petals of a love-in-the-mist explode like a starburst. Two coral-red peonies, a mostly closed peony, a topaz-blue morning glory, and the fuzzy fingers of amaranth bring us to six o’clock. Up the left side are delicate pink crab apple blossoms, a spray of Chinese lanterns, a yellow rose with ants crawling across its splayed petals, a striped morning glory, and a few blue, orange, and red buds. A caterpillar rears up on a Chinese lantern bud and a ladybug sits on a leaf nearby. A few stalks of wheat are scattered throughout. Stems weave through the blue ribbon at the top, which is tied around a protruding nail. The artist signed the lower left corner, “AB Mignon f,” with the AB conjoined in a monogram.
    A Hanging Bouquet of FlowersAbraham Mignon, probably 1665/1670Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. Still-life painting, fish, open oysters, eel, lemon on tablecloth.
    Fish (Still Life)Édouard Manet, 1864Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. A work made of oil on canvas.
    The Vase of TulipsPaul Cézanne, c. 1890Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

East wall

  1. Basket of Fruit, c. 1830
    Basket of FruitUnrecorded American maker, c. 1830Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. Pomegranates and Other Fruit in a Landscape, by Abraham Brueghel
    Pomegranates and Other Fruit in a LandscapeAbraham BrueghelCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Still Life—Violin and Music, by William Michael Harnett, 1888
    Still Life—Violin and MusicWilliam Michael Harnett, 1888Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. A work made of oil on panel.
    Breakfast Still LifeWillem Claesz. Heda, 1647Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

West wall

  1. A Woman Seated beside a Vase of Flowers (Madame Paul Valpinçon?), by Edgar Degas, 1865
    A Woman Seated beside a Vase of Flowers (Madame Paul Valpinçon?)Edgar Degas, 1865Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. The image shows a large cut watermelon in a woven basket surrounded by various fruits including grapes, peaches, and small round red fruits. The color palette includes greens, blues, oranges, and browns. The basket takes up most of the space and is filled with fruits, with grape clusters hanging above it.
    Fruit on a TrayUnrecorded American maker, c. 1840Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. Melons and Morning Glories, by Raphaelle Peale, 1813
    Melons and Morning GloriesRaphaelle Peale, 1813Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  4. A work made of oil on panel.
    Trompe-l'Oeil Still Life with a Flower Garland and a CurtainAdriaen van der Spelt, 1658Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

South wall

  1. Still Life with Fan and Roses, by Thomas Hovenden, 1874
    Still Life with Fan and RosesThomas Hovenden, 1874Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  2. Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses, by Paul Cézanne, ca. 1890
    Still Life with Apples and a Pot of PrimrosesPaul Cézanne, ca. 1890Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Oil painting
    An Orange Note: Sweet ShopJames McNeill Whistler, 1883 or 1884Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
  4. The Killing of Three Warriors with Two Peaches, 202 BCE–220 CE
    The Killing of Three Warriors with Two PeachesUnrecorded Chinese maker, 202 BCE–220 CECourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art