Green Plums

c. 1885

Joseph Decker

Painter, American, 1853 - 1924

About two dozen round, pale green plums tumble out of an upended square wooden box onto a reflective, dark brown surface in this horizontal still life painting. Many of the plums have a frosty sheen and about half of them lie in a pile within the basket. The other dozen spill out of the box onto the wood tabletop. Most have stubby stems, and one, closest to us, has a longer stem with two browning leaves. The leaves and round fruit create reflections on the polished wood surface. The box was made by weaving broad sheets of light wood into a square. The layers are visible along the upper edge, which faces us. There are a few dark spots and imperfections in the wood. An ice-blue cloth hangs behind the box and crinkles in folds along the table. The artist signed the work in the lower right, “J.Decker.”

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Information on this painting can be found in the Gallery publication American Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, Part I, pages 123-125, which is available as a free PDF at https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/research/publications/pdfs/american-paintings-19th-century-part-1.pdf
On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery 69-A


Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

  • Dimensions

    overall: 22.9 x 27.8 cm (9 x 10 15/16 in.)
    framed: 55.6 x 63.5 x 7.6 cm (21 7/8 x 25 x 3 in.)

  • Accession

    1994.59.4


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, New York, 9 December 1983, no. 80, as Greenings); (Berry-Hill Galleries, New York); sold March 1984 to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, Upperville, Virginia; gift 1994 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2008

  • Feast for the Eyes: American Masterworks from the National Gallery of Art, Academy Art Museum, Easton, Maryland, 2008, no cat.

2013

  • Art and Appetite: American Painting, Culture, and Cuisine, The Art Institute of Chicago; Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, 2013-2014, no. 8, fig. 8.

Bibliography

1996

  • Kelly, Franklin, with Nicolai Cikovsky, Jr., Deborah Chotner, and John Davis. American Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, Part I. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1996: 123-125, color repro.

Inscriptions

lower right: J.Decker

Wikidata ID

Q20189768


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