Severin Roesen

Kennedy Galleries, Inc., New York

Acquired from the above in 1989 by the present owner

Regarding the present work, Judith O’Toole writes, "This composition employs a horizontal composition of fruit arranged on two tiers of dark marble in a shallow picture plane against a dark, modulated background. The lower shelf holds a signature champagne flute with bubbling liquid and the top shelf holds an open champagne bottle. Fruits of all types are laid directly on the marble with the exception of a footed bowl holding ripe strawberries and a basket of peaches. The painting is similar to several important works by the artist produced during his time in Williamsport, Pennsylvania where he lived and worked from the early 1860s until 1872 dating this painting to circa 1865....In the artist’s characteristic style the fresh, brightly colored fruits are rendered with precise detail including color and texture. 

The precise rendering of detail and texture throughout the canvas along with the smoothly blended forms and colors are hallmarks of Roesen’s technique” (unpublished letter, 5 January 2025).