Still Life with Herring, Bread, and Cheese1858 · Study 1980.254.2

Context from the museum

This painting forms a pair with the Still Life with Pipe and Matches . Along with several other paintings, they decorated the dining room of the artist's home, each painting representing a different stage of a meal. In this composition the artist focused his attention on rendering textures, which are as varied as the objects themselves: the skin of the smoked herrings, whose highlights echo the silver of the goblet and the cover of the pitcher; the spongy surface of the bread; the velvety crust of the cheese; and finally the soft wood surface (pine?) that supports this still life. The Latin inscription translates: "How virtuous and how great to live with simple things."

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Still Life with Herring, Bread, and Cheese is 38 cm wide and 63 cm high, equivalent to approximately 15.0 × 24.8 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.60:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.24 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 12.7% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 131.0 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Still Life with Herring, Bread, and Cheese in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on canvas, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 38 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?