Still Life With Lobster, Fruit, And Wine, 19th Century

Period: 19th century, dated 1867 and 1881
Technique: oil on canvas
Subject: still life with lobster, fruit, and wine
Signature: signature in the lower left corner, illegible
Monogram: “R.”

Dimensions: 39.5 cm x 51.5 cm

A beautiful 19th-century oil-on-canvas still life, depicting a red lobster presented on a platter, surrounded by an abundant arrangement of fruit, grapes, mushrooms, and a glass of white wine.

At the center of the composition, the lobster is the main subject, placed on a large oval platter. It is accompanied by a basket filled with peaches and other fruits, bunches of white and black grapes, as well as mushrooms and small condiments. A kitchen knife placed in the foreground completes the scene and reinforces the particularly realistic and appetizing nature of this composition.

The painter pays particular attention to the rendering of materials and textures: the transparency of the glass, the reflections in the wine, the lobster’s glossy shell, the skin of the fruit, the foliage, and the wicker of the basket. The rich, warm color palette, dominated by reds, greens, and browns, is characteristic of the taste for still lifes in the second half of the 19th century.

The work bears several handwritten inscriptions, including the dates 1867 and 1881, as well as a monogram “R”. A signature is also visible, but unfortunately remains illegible. These various inscriptions may correspond to the work’s creation and a subsequent revision or restoration.

An interesting composition of a 19th-century bourgeois still life, particularly decorative due to its format and the richness of its iconography.

Condition: signs of use, with old craquelure and visible signs of wear on the surface, as shown in the photographs.

ProAntic Keywords:
Still life, lobster, oil on canvas, 19th century, 1867, 1881, antique painting, French painting, fruit, grapes, basket, wine, glass, mushrooms, knife, crustacean, gastronomy, fruit still life, realistic painting, antique painting, monogram R, signature, Belle Époque.