Still Life

This is a Victorian still life painting with a strong Dutch influence. It calls us to admire the technical skill of the painter in his representation of the glass and reflections, the bloom on the grapes, and the petals. It is also a reminder of the fleeting nature of life, symbolised in the withering vine leaf.

The painter, Edward Ladell, was born in Suffolk, a county with a long connection to Dutch and Flemish culture and art. In the 1870s he moved to Devon with his second wife, Ella Maria, who painted in a very similar style and had studios in Exeter’s Queen Street.

You can buy a high-quality print of this work from Art UK.

Visual description: A realistic still life painting of a bunch of red grapes with withering vine leaves still attached draped over a casket. A pink rose and rosebud lie in front of the casket, and two strawberries are to the right. On the left, peach halves sit in front of a wine glass with a thick, coiled stem. The glass is filled with white wine and reflects the light from the windows. All the items rest on a dark wooden ledge, the sides of which are decorated with carvings.