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Charles Augustus and Ella Hays Myers
William Henry Hays Myers (son of Charles Augustus and Ella Hays Myers)
William Henry Hays Myers, Jr., since 1935 (son of William Henry Hays Myers)
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York, July 1984
Daniel J. Terra Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1984
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1999
Exhibition HistoryPublished References
Robert Spear Dunning
(American, 1829–1905)
Still Life with Fruit
1868
Oil on canvas
Image: 25 x 30 1/4 in. (63.5 x 76.8 cm)
Frame: 39 3/8 x 44 7/8 in. (100.0 x 114.0 cm)
Frame: 39 3/8 x 44 7/8 in. (100.0 x 114.0 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1999.49
SignedLower left: R.S. Dunning 1868; center verso of canvas: R.S. Dunning PINXIT 1868
InterpretationStill Life with Fruit demonstrates Robert Spear Dunning’s skill in illusionistic representation of inanimate things. The seemingly casual jumble of ripe fruit and luxurious containers on a polished wood tabletop offers a profusion of colors and simulated textures, from the almost tactile roughness of cantaloupe rind to the taut skin of glowing green and red grapes. The manmade vessels of brass, glass, and silver similarly appear selected for maximum contrast of reflectivity and transparency, their hard surfaces set off by the soft, fringed napkins in the foreground. The napkins’ precise folds and the rigid edge of the tabletop are the only straight lines in a composition defined by the opulent curves of the luscious fruit and their containers. Dunning’s choice and arrangement of these objects and his meticulous rendering of their very materiality enlivens Still Life with Fruit with an almost animate sensuality.
With their themes of abundance and bravura treatment of surfaces, Dunning’s interior works recall Dutch still-life paintings of the seventeenth century while they evince a post-Civil War spirit of renewal and confidence founded on the nation’s growing prosperity. The fruits presented in this work, for example, range from such humble, local produce as apples and pears to luxury items: table grapes were the product of hothouse cultivation, while bananas were a rare tropical import. As a seaport and as a nexus between New York and Boston and the wealthy resort of Newport, Rhode Island, Dunning’s hometown of Fall River prospered in the second half of the nineteenth century. The flourishing of still-life painting in Fall River, like the ripe abundance of Still Life with Fruit, testifies to that affluence.
With their themes of abundance and bravura treatment of surfaces, Dunning’s interior works recall Dutch still-life paintings of the seventeenth century while they evince a post-Civil War spirit of renewal and confidence founded on the nation’s growing prosperity. The fruits presented in this work, for example, range from such humble, local produce as apples and pears to luxury items: table grapes were the product of hothouse cultivation, while bananas were a rare tropical import. As a seaport and as a nexus between New York and Boston and the wealthy resort of Newport, Rhode Island, Dunning’s hometown of Fall River prospered in the second half of the nineteenth century. The flourishing of still-life painting in Fall River, like the ripe abundance of Still Life with Fruit, testifies to that affluence.
Charles Augustus and Ella Hays Myers
William Henry Hays Myers (son of Charles Augustus and Ella Hays Myers)
William Henry Hays Myers, Jr., since 1935 (son of William Henry Hays Myers)
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York, July 1984
Daniel J. Terra Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1984
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1999
Exhibition History
A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 21–June 21, 1987. [exh. cat.]
Selections from the Permanent Collection: Life in 19th Century America, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, June 24–September 6, 1987.
Regional American Painting to 1920, Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, South Carolina (organizer). Venue: Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, South Carolina, November 6–December 30, 1990. [exh. cat.]
Visions of a Nation: Exploring Identity through American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, August 10, 1995–January 12, 1996.
Permanent collection installation, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 12–August 27, 1997.
Collection Cameo, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, September 1998.
Figures and Forms: Selections from the Terra Foundation for the Arts, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 9–July 9, 2000.
New Faces, New Places: Recent Additions to the Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, October 14–December 31, 2000.
Selections from the Permanent Collection: Two Centuries of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 10–July 1, 2001.
American Classics: Selections from the Terra Foundation for the Arts, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 26–September 1, 2002.
A Place on the Avenue: Terra Museum of American Art Celebrates 15 Years in Chicago, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 16, 2002-February 16, 2003 (on exhibit extended run: November 2, 2002–March 2, 2003).
A Narrative of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, February 13–October 31, 2004.
Manifest Destiny, Manifest Responsibility: Environmentalism and the Art of the American Landscape. Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois and Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizers). Venue: Loyola University Museum of Art, May 17–August 10, 2008. [exh. cat.]
Selections from the Permanent Collection: Life in 19th Century America, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, June 24–September 6, 1987.
Regional American Painting to 1920, Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, South Carolina (organizer). Venue: Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, South Carolina, November 6–December 30, 1990. [exh. cat.]
Visions of a Nation: Exploring Identity through American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, August 10, 1995–January 12, 1996.
Permanent collection installation, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 12–August 27, 1997.
Collection Cameo, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, September 1998.
Figures and Forms: Selections from the Terra Foundation for the Arts, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 9–July 9, 2000.
New Faces, New Places: Recent Additions to the Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, October 14–December 31, 2000.
Selections from the Permanent Collection: Two Centuries of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 10–July 1, 2001.
American Classics: Selections from the Terra Foundation for the Arts, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 26–September 1, 2002.
A Place on the Avenue: Terra Museum of American Art Celebrates 15 Years in Chicago, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 16, 2002-February 16, 2003 (on exhibit extended run: November 2, 2002–March 2, 2003).
A Narrative of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, February 13–October 31, 2004.
Manifest Destiny, Manifest Responsibility: Environmentalism and the Art of the American Landscape. Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois and Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizers). Venue: Loyola University Museum of Art, May 17–August 10, 2008. [exh. cat.]
Hoving, Thomas. "Masterworks Aplenty." Connoisseur 214: 872 (October 1984): 52. Ill. p. 52 (black & white).
Sokol, David M. "The Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois." The Magazine Antiques 126:5 (November 1984): 1156–69. Pl. XX, p. 1164 (color).
Atkinson, D. Scott et al. A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art. Edited by Terry A. Neff. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1987. Pl. T-30, p. 139 (color).
Gerdts, William H. Regional American Painting to 1920. (exh. cat., Greenville County Museum of Art). Greenville, South Carolina: Greenville County Museum of Art, 1990. Text p. 12 (checklist).
Southgate, M. Therese. "The Cover." The Journal of the American Medical Association 266:8 (August 28, 1991): 1044. Text p. 1044; ill. cover (color).
Southgate, M. Therese. "The Cover." The Journal of the American Medical Association Pakistan 4:10 (December 1992): 523. Text p. 523; ill. cover (color).
The Journal of the American Medical Association Middle East (July 1994): cover. Ill. cover (color).
Still Life with Fruit, Robert Spear Dunning. Collection Cameo sheet, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, September 1998. Ill. (black & white).
Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. An American Point of View: The Daniel J. Terra Collection. Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2002. Text pp. 80, 195; ill. pp. 9 (color), 81 (color), 195 (black & white).
Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. Un regard transatlantique. La collection d'art américain de Daniel J. Terra. Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2002. Text pp. 80, 195; ill. pp. 9 (color), 81 (color), 195 (black & white).
Brownlee, Peter John. Manifest Destiny / Manifest Responsibility: Environmentalism and the Art of the American Landscape. (exh. cat., Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago, Illinois). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art and Loyola University Museum of Art, 2008. Text pp. 25, 35 (checklist); Ill. Pl. 2, p. 41 (color).
Southgate, M. Therese. The Art of JAMA III: Covers and Essays from the Journal of the American Medical Association. Chicago, Illinois: American Medical Association, 2011. Text p. 54; ill. opposite p. 54 (color).
Sokol, David M. "The Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois." The Magazine Antiques 126:5 (November 1984): 1156–69. Pl. XX, p. 1164 (color).
Atkinson, D. Scott et al. A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art. Edited by Terry A. Neff. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1987. Pl. T-30, p. 139 (color).
Gerdts, William H. Regional American Painting to 1920. (exh. cat., Greenville County Museum of Art). Greenville, South Carolina: Greenville County Museum of Art, 1990. Text p. 12 (checklist).
Southgate, M. Therese. "The Cover." The Journal of the American Medical Association 266:8 (August 28, 1991): 1044. Text p. 1044; ill. cover (color).
Southgate, M. Therese. "The Cover." The Journal of the American Medical Association Pakistan 4:10 (December 1992): 523. Text p. 523; ill. cover (color).
The Journal of the American Medical Association Middle East (July 1994): cover. Ill. cover (color).
Still Life with Fruit, Robert Spear Dunning. Collection Cameo sheet, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, September 1998. Ill. (black & white).
Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. An American Point of View: The Daniel J. Terra Collection. Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2002. Text pp. 80, 195; ill. pp. 9 (color), 81 (color), 195 (black & white).
Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. Un regard transatlantique. La collection d'art américain de Daniel J. Terra. Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2002. Text pp. 80, 195; ill. pp. 9 (color), 81 (color), 195 (black & white).
Brownlee, Peter John. Manifest Destiny / Manifest Responsibility: Environmentalism and the Art of the American Landscape. (exh. cat., Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago, Illinois). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art and Loyola University Museum of Art, 2008. Text pp. 25, 35 (checklist); Ill. Pl. 2, p. 41 (color).
Southgate, M. Therese. The Art of JAMA III: Covers and Essays from the Journal of the American Medical Association. Chicago, Illinois: American Medical Association, 2011. Text p. 54; ill. opposite p. 54 (color).