Mixed Flowers with a Box and Pearls, 1869
Oil on canvas
Martin Johnson Heade
American, 1819-1904
Martin Johnson Heade produced many lush and detailed panels of tropical flora and fauna as a result of his trips to South America. Mixed Flowers with a Box of Pearls, by contrast, belongs fully to the wealthy Victorian domestic interior. A vase, featuring a figure holding up its stem, is topped with a floral arrangement of North American plant life. A string of shimmering pearls creeps its way out of a decorative box near the transparent silk that rests atop the burnt-crimson table covering.
Westheimer Family Collection, 2005
Visual Description: This is a still-life painting of a floral arrangement painted with rich, sumptuous colors. The flowers sit in a decorative metal vase and consist of primarily white roses, pink carnations, heliotrope and azaleas. The table is covered with a gold and red brocade tablecloth, depicting various floral motifs. To the left of the vase is an open gold and enamel box with a string of lustrous pearls hanging out of it
