William Michael Harnett (American, born Ireland, 1848–1892)
Just Dessert
INV-4406
William Michael Harnett (American, born Ireland, 1848–1892)1891
Realismpaintingamerican arts
Date
1891
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
56.6 × 68 cm (22 1/4 × 26 3/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Friends of American Art Collection
One of only three works William Michael Harnett painted in the year before his death, Just Dessert offers the viewer a display of foodstuffs sumptuously arranged on a marble surface. The traditional tabletop composition is one that Harnett often employed in his still lifes. In Just Dessert, the exotic clashes with the quotidian—Maraschino liqueur, half a coconut, and Smyrna figs rest alongside a copper
pitcher, pewter tankard, and ginger jar. Small crumbs of cork are visible on the grapes and fig seeds are smashed on the side of the wooden box, indicating that the dessert has been eaten, as well as highlighting Harnett’s skillful renderings in trompe l’oeil (fool-the-eye) painting.
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