Martin Johnson Heade (1819-1904), Roses and Heliotrope in a Vase on a Marble Tabletop, 1862, oil on board, John Wilmerding Collection

A soft light from the left defines the pristine ovoid of the tinted Parianware vase and casts a shadow behind it. The curtain on the left is pulled back to reveal the vibrant violet blossoms of the heliotrope and the rich creamy pinks and yellows of the rose petals. This gesture adds a note of both drama and decorum and provides a subtle visual threshhold for the painting. The logically ordered foreground deftly draws attention toward the flower arrangement.