Hanging Bunch of Grapes
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall (oval): 54.61 × 44.45 cm (21 1/2 × 17 1/2 in.) framed: 73.66 × 62.87 × 10.16 cm (29 × 24 3/4 × 4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of William and Abigail Gerdts
Accession Number
2018.44.21
Art Historical Context
Sarah Wilhelmina Wenzler'sHanging Bunch of Grap*, painted in 1867, is a still-life composition executed in oil on canvas. in an intimate oval format, the work measures just over 21 by 17 inches and invites viewers to study the artist's careful rendering of fruit, stem, and light. The hanging arrangement of grapes was a favored motif that allowed painters to demonstrate skill in capturing translucency, texture, and subtle color variations. In the mid-nineteenth century, American still-life painting celebrated nature's abundance and the quiet beauty of everyday objects. Oil paint proved especia...