Food on the Table 

Reportedly, Manet regarded still life as the ultimate test for a painter's skill. Between 1862 and 1870, he undertook the creation of several grandiose tabletop scenes featuring fish and fruit, with this one being the final and most intricate. The inspiration for this piece came from the Louvre's acquisition of a painting depicting a brioche by Jean Siméon Chardin, an esteemed eighteenth-century French master of still life. Drawing from Chardin's approach, Manet arranged various sensory-stimulating elements around the buttery bread—a striking white napkin, velvety peaches, lustrous plums, a polished knife, a vivid red box—and, adhering to tradition, adorned the brioche with a fragrant flower.

Meléndez's still life stands out for its exceptional format and composition. It deviates from his usual style of stark backgrounds by featuring a lush landscape as its setting, which is quite unusual for him. The painting bears resemblance to a series of four works created for the Nuevo Cabinete de Historia Natural of the Prince of Asturias, now housed in the Museo del Prado, Madrid. It is highly probable that the Museum's still life initially had a companion canvas of the same size, portraying a landscape scene. The inclusion of a picnic basket justifies the title "The Afternoon Meal" (in Spanish, La Merienda).

Chase's series of large-scale fish still-life paintings, created from 1904 onwards during his European teaching trips, exhibit his masterful brushwork and dark palette reminiscent of his early Munich period. Influenced by his contemporary, Antoine Vollon, and seventeenth-century Spanish still lifes appreciated by Vollon, Chase skillfully depicts fish on a tabletop, infusing seemingly ordinary subjects with captivating allure through his fine technique. Critics, like Leo Stein, praise Chase's ability to expressively portray the thick, soft-bodied fish, finding the artworks a visual delight that captivates viewers without sentimentality.

In these fish still lifes, Chase's artistry shines, transforming mundane scenes into mesmerizing spectacles. The captivating interplay of bold brushwork, dark tones, and rich composition breathes life into the canvases, leaving observers charmed and enthralled by the expressiveness of the aquatic treasures on display.

During his lifetime, Vollon was acclaimed as a successor to Chardin. This particular artwork, likely created in the late 1870s, showcases his exceptional technical prowess in portraying the surface, light, and texture of commonplace items. His still life paintings, with their thematic choices, color palette, and bold execution, bear the marks of Ribot's influence, as Ribot's own work was inspired by seventeenth-century Spanish painting.

The luminous textures of metalwork and glass mirror an abundance of ripe fruits and a lobster in this captivating still life. Elaborate tables like the one depicted, adorned with a rich assortment of food and exotic luxuries like the blue-and-white porcelain bowl from China, exemplify the essence of Dutch still life during the latter part of the seventeenth century. These artworks signify a departure from the previous themes of immortality and vanity found in earlier still lifes, embracing wholeheartedly the earthly delights and pleasures of life.

Presumably intended for a townhouse, this decorative painting beautifully captures the abundance of the hunt on a country estate. A heron and various other deceased birds spill out of a game bag, positioned beside a grand neoclassical urn. These animal trophies seamlessly blend into the elegant landscape, portraying a courtly atmosphere, while the excitement of the hunt remains unseen. In the backdrop, aristocratic figures leisurely stroll near an ornamental pond, graced by gliding swans.

In this captivating display, effervescent Champagne and over a dozen varieties of fresh fruit take center stage. The abundance of this extravagant assortment is made possible by nineteenth-century advancements in cultivation and shipping practices, which allowed for the inclusion of exotic items like the tropical pineapple and heavily seeded melons, hinting at the nation's future prosperity. Roesen, a German immigrant, sought refuge from the upheavals of 1848 by seeking opportunities in America. In the 1850s, he showcased his art in New York, contributing eleven paintings to the American Art-Union's Free Gallery exhibitions between 1848 and 1852. Eventually, in 1863, he settled in Pennsylvania, where he garnered patrons from the lumber industry, who cherished the perceived limitless resources of America.

In this artwork, Rousseau skillfully blends his reverence for eighteenth-century still life paintings with a focus on present-day, ordinary elements. These include a copy of the newspaper Le Figaro on the left and a letter, addressed to the artist at his residence in Acquigny, northern France, positioned at the center. The succulent ham is tastefully adorned with a sprig of bay leaves. Paintings like this brought Rousseau immense acclaim within fashionable circles, and it is possible that the current piece was displayed at the Salon of 1877 under the title "Le Déjeuner" (The Lunch).