Skip to Content
Closed today, next open tomorrow. Closed today, next open tomorrow.

  • Mon 11–5
  • Tue–Wed Closed
  • Thu 11–8
  • Fri–Sun 11–5
  • The first hour of every day, 10–11 a.m., is reserved for member-only viewing.

An Abundance of Fruit

A work made of oil on canvas.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of oil on canvas.

Date:

c. 1860

Artist:

Severin Roesen
American, born Germany, 1815/17–1872

About this artwork

This painting by Severin Roesen, who immigrated to the United States from Cologne in 1848, features a profusion of berries, grapes, peaches, figs, and other fruits piled upon a marble slab. His composition is a celebratory display of nature’s bounty— portrayed in such minute detail as to feel artificial. Roesen worked in Pennsylvania, supported by German immigrants who operated local breweries there. While still lifes in the 19th
century typically adorned domestic dining rooms, Roesen’s painting may have hung in a public tavern or restaurant. For such patrons, the artist probably painted pictures in exchange for beer. Roesen and his male patrons would not have been counted among the followers of the growing temperance movement in America at midcentury.

Status

On View, Gallery 173

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Severin Roesen

Title

An Abundance of Fruit

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

c. 1860

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

63.5 × 76.2 cm (25 × 30 in.)

Credit Line

Americana Endowment Fund

Reference Number

2004.2

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/182381/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.
Learn more

Image actions

Share

Suggested Terms