Still Life with Dog and Fruit, Cristoforo Monari
Artwork Overview
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 134.6 x 96.5 cm
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 53 x 38 in
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Images
Label texts
Cristoforo Monari produced grandly scaled paintings depicting a wealth of precious objects from near and far. Well-suited to the elegant apartments of his patrons, the canvases decorated living spaces along with other fine objects meant to attest to the owner’s affluence and social status. This example illustrates the market demand for paintings juxtaposing natural elements with objects from distant locations and cultures: oranges and lemons from the Mediterranean, porcelain from China, Netherlandish replications of blue and white vessels of the Far East, rust-colored pottery from Mexico or the Iberian Peninsula. A single still-life could function in the place of several objects. The collection of those objects in paint reflected the owner’s appetite for refined and worldly items. Gazing sleepily from under the table, the dog invites the viewer to partake in the food and wine, which delight the senses though their skillful rendering.
Take a minute to look quietly at this painting. There is a lot to notice. What do you think the dog is thinking? Paintings like this one that show an arrangement of objects are called “still life,” because they usually don’t have anything in them that can move. This one is an exception!
About the art
This painting shows objects from all over the world together in one place. There are oranges and lemons from countries around the Mediterranean Sea. There are blue and white dishes that were made in Northern Europe but were inspired by dishes that were made in China. There is also terracotta pottery from Spain or Mexico.
About the animal
The dog in this painting is similar to several kinds of European sheepdogs that were used to herd sheep up into the mountains during the summer and into the lower valleys in the winter.
Click the link below to see a photograph of a sheepdog similar to this one.
Take a minute to look quietly at this painting. There is a lot to notice. What do you think the dog is thinking? Paintings like this one that show an arrangement of objects are called “still life,” because they usually don’t have anything in them that can move. This one is an exception!
About the art
This painting shows objects from all over the world together in one place. There are oranges and lemons from countries around the Mediterranean Sea. There are blue and white dishes that were made in Northern Europe but were inspired by dishes that were made in China. There is also terracotta pottery from Spain or Mexico.
About the animal
The dog in this painting is similar to several kinds of European sheepdogs that were used to herd sheep up into the mountains during the summer and into the lower valleys in the winter.
Tap the Web icon to see a sheepdog similar to this one.
Monari produced grandly scaled paintings depicting a wealth of precious objects from near and far. Well-suited to the elegant apartments of his patrons, the canvases decorated living spaces along with other fine objects meant to attest to the owner’s affluence and social status. This example illustrates the market demand for paintings juxtaposing natural elements with objects from distant locations and cultures: oranges and lemons from the Mediterranean, porcelain from China, Netherlandish replications of blue and white vessels of the Far East, rust-colored pottery from Mexico or the Iberian Peninsula. A single still life could function in the place of several objects. The collection of those objects in paint reflected the owner’s appetite for refined and worldly items. Gazing sleepily from under the table, the dog invites the viewer to partake in the food and wine, which delight the senses through their skillful rendering.
Cristoforo Monari produced grandly scaled paintings depicting a wealth of precious objects from near and far. Well-suited to the elegant apartments of his patrons, the canvases decorated living spaces along with other fine objects meant to attest to the owner’s affluence and social status. This example illustrates the market demand for paintings juxtaposing natural elements with objects from distant locations and cultures: oranges and lemons from the Mediterranean, porcelain from China, Netherlandish replications of blue and white vessels of the Far East, rust-colored pottery from Mexico or the Iberian Peninsula. A single still-life could function in the place of several objects. The collection of those objects in paint reflected the owner’s appetite for refined and worldly items. Gazing sleepily from under the table, the dog invites the viewer to partake in the food and wine, which delight the senses though their skillful rendering.
Exhibition Label:
"Empire of Things," 2013, Kate Meyer
Cristoforo Monari produced grandly scaled paintings depicting a wealth of precious objects from near and far. Well-suited to the elegant apartments of his patrons, the canvases decorated living spaces along with other fine objects meant to attest to the owner’s affluence and social status. This example illustrates the market demand for paintings juxtaposing natural elements with objects from distant locations and cultures: oranges and lemons from the Mediterranean, porcelain from China, Netherlandish replications of blue and white vessels of the Far East, rust-colored pottery from Mexico or the Iberian Peninsula. A single still-life could function in the place of several objects. The collection of those objects in paint reflected the owner’s appetite for refined and worldly items. Gazing sleepily from under the table, the dog invites the viewer to partake in the food and wine, which delight the senses though their skillful rendering.
