Still Life with Pipe and Matches and Still Life with Herring, Bread, and Cheese (pair)1858 · Study 1980.254

Context from the museum

The artist was a smoker. In this composition the place of honor is given to a pipe made in Austria around the middle of the 19th century. It is made of precious materials—meerschaum, silver, amber, horn or lacquered wood—that are carefully fashioned, all lovingly rendered by the artist. The cord with a tassel (perhaps of horsehair) is not just a decorative element, it is a security measure in case the precious bowl of the pipe becomes detached from the pipe stem. The pipe is surrounded by ordinary smoker's accessories—a cigar case, a snuffbox, and a match holder in porcelain—all placed on a Turkish rug. The Latin inscription translates: "Use, not abuse." In 1858 Decamps was 55 years old and not in the best of health. Perhaps a doctor had advised him to reduce his consumption of tobacco.

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 Pipe and Matches and Still Life with Herring, Bread, and Cheese (pair) 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 Pipe and Matches and Still Life with Herring, Bread, and Cheese (pair) in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on fabric, 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?