Philippe Rousseau's still-lifes, influenced to a large degree by Jean-Siméon Chardin, were extremely popular in the last decades of the 19th century. This composition combines Rousseau's admiration for eighteenth-century still life painting with an emphasis on contemporary, everyday detail, such as the copy of the newspaper Le Figaro at left and the letter at center, addressed to the artist at his home in Acquigny in northern France. The succulent ham is garnished with a sprig of bay leaves. Still lifes such as this brought Rousseau great success in fashionable French circles; the present picture may have been exhibited at the Salon of 1877 as Le Déjeuner (The Lunch).
Today, one of my best friends is having his birthday - Kondzio, stay happy and cheerful as always!! This ham is for you :D
Still Life with Ham
oil on canvas • 73 x 92.1 cm
-
Philippe Rousseau