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Still life with peaches and hazelnuts

Maker

(artist)
1729-1759

Title

Date of Production

1700 - 1799

Medium

watercolour on laid paper

Dimensions

Width: 34.8 cm
Height: 22.7 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.1972

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords

Label Text

This exquisite watercolour seems designed to satisfy both the curiosity of the botanist and the appetite of the art-lover. The viewer is able to study the leaves of the cuttings in detail and from various angles. The holes made by insects record the action of nature and give the watercolour a sense of immediacy by emphasising the individuality of the specimens. However, attention is also given to the pictorial qualities of the work. The green leaves are contrasted artfully with the pink of the peaches. The peaches themselves are treated as substantial volumes which cast clear shadows.

Provenance

George Smith?; William Beckford (1760-1844); Sotheby's (London); purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), n.d.; Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

Second Nature, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 14/06/2000-03/09/2000

About Time, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 24/02/2000-30/05/2000

Literature

Aidin, Rose, 'Back to Life' review of 'Second Nature', 25 August 2000
p. 48
ill. on p. 48

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: lower centre edge, fragment: top of a Strasburg lily.

Collector's mark: none.

Inscription: Recto: lower right, pen and brown ink, signed by the artist: "MvHuÿsum"; lower right, brush and grey wash: "54". Verso: right centre, graphite: "21". Former backing sheet or mount, now removed but recorded in file: graphite: “Geo Smith”; pen: “From the Collection of Wm. Beckford Esqr.”.

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