Severin Roesen (American, born Germany, ca. 1815-after 1872). <em>Still Life with Fruit</em>, ca. 1860. Oil on canvas, 40 1/16 x 50 1/8 in. (101.7 x 127.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 67.9 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 67.9_SL1.jpg)

Severin Roesen (American, born Germany, ca. 1815-after 1872). Still Life with Fruit, ca. 1860. Oil on canvas, 40 1/16 x 50 1/8 in. (101.7 x 127.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 67.9 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 67.9_SL1.jpg)

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Who painted this?

This work is by Severin Roesen. Rosesen was a German-born and German-trained artist who immigrated to the United States in the 1848. He became known for his still life paintings, and this one is among his most ambitious works. Still life paintings were a favorite way for an artist to showcase his technical skill, and they were also appropriate decorations for a home in mid-1800s America, so they were in demand in the art market of the time.

Do the eggs (the only "animal" presence here) have a special meaning?

Still life paintings often have many allusions to life and bounty, and sometimes to death and decay. We can surmise that the bird's nest is presented to allude to birth and possibility. Images of natural prosperity and fertility were popular as decorations in the homes of affluent American families in the mid-1800s!

I see! Thank you very much!

Still Life with Fruit

Severin Roesen

American Art

On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Visions and Myths of a Nation, 1800–1890

In the mid-nineteenth century, still-life painting underwent a revival in the northeastern United States. Working in a style based on Dutch models, which depicted a multitude of fruits and flowers, Severin Roesen cultivated a popular following with the German community in Pennsylvania. This composition, one of his most elaborate, portrays a grand arrangement of various fruits, a bird’s nest, and a finely painted glass of water, and conveys a sense of wealth and abundance.

ARTIST Severin Roesen, American, born Germany, ca. 1815-after 1872

MEDIUM Oil on canvas

DATES ca. 1860

DIMENSIONS 40 1/16 x 50 1/8 in. (101.7 x 127.3 cm) (show scale)

SIGNATURE Signed lower right (initials in monogram): "S Roesen"

COLLECTIONS American Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 67.9

CREDIT LINE Dick S. Ramsay Fund

EXHIBITIONS

American Art

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Visions and Myths of a Nation, 1800–1890

CAPTION Severin Roesen (American, born Germany, ca. 1815-after 1872). Still Life with Fruit, ca. 1860. Oil on canvas, 40 1/16 x 50 1/8 in. (101.7 x 127.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 67.9 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 67.9_SL1.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 67.9_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

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RIGHTS STATEMENT No known copyright restrictions

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Who painted this?

Do the eggs (the only "animal" presence here) have a special meaning?

I see! Thank you very much!