Artwork Page for Still Life with Fish, Bread, and Kettle

Details / Information for Still Life with Fish, Bread, and Kettle

Still Life with Fish, Bread, and Kettle

c. 1772

Luis Meléndez

(Spanish, 1716–1780)
Culture
Spain
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
Framed: 54 x 67 x 5 cm (21 1/4 x 26 3/8 x 1 15/16 in.); Unframed: 34 x 48 cm (13 3/8 x 18 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1983.97
Public Domain
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Location
212 Baroque Painting and Sculpture
Print

Description

During the 1760s, after painting portraits and portrait miniatures with his father, Meléndez began to specialize in still lifes. Active mainly in Madrid, he is regarded as the finest Spanish still-life painter of the 18th century, but he spent much of his life in poverty.
A horizontally oriented oil painting depicts a collection of food and vessels emerging from a shadowy background. In the center, a large, silvery fish leans vertically against a tarnished golden kettle. To the left, two citrus fruits rest beside a knife handle. To the right, a craggy, golden loaf of bread sits near a dark metal bottle. Scattered garlic cloves and husks lie in the foreground. Fine cracks traverse the entire surface.

Still Life with Fish, Bread, and Kettle

c. 1772

Luis Meléndez

(Spanish, 1716–1780)
Spain

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