19th C Still Life With Fruit & Goldfish by Morston Constantine Ream

Description

Superb 19th Century New York School still life by Morston Ream depicting fruit including watermelon, grapes, and peaches with a … more Superb 19th Century New York School still life by Morston Ream depicting fruit including watermelon, grapes, and peaches with a gold fish in a fishbowl. Finely detailed painting with intricately patterend wall paper design in background and bold chiaroscuro. Circa 1870s, oil on canvas presented in a later gilt wood frame.

Image size: 26.75" H x 21.75" W, overall framed measurements: 33.75" H x 28.75" W x 3" D

Provenance: Sothebys New York 3/31/1993 sale, result $4715.

About the Artist:

Still life painter, Morston Constantine Ream often depicted fruit and dessert in his paintings. He was born in Lancaster, Ohio. The artist began learning daguerreotyping when he was twenty and worked as a photographer's apprentice in Cleveland. He eventually gave this up, as it bothered his health, and moved to New York in 1868 to study painting. His paintings were exhibited in 1870 by James F. Ryder.

He was the younger brother of Carducius Plantagenet Ream, who was also well known for his still lifes and encouraged Morston to seriously start painting. In addition to still lifes Morston produced landscapes and genre paintings.

Morston had various studios on Union Square, and exhibited still lifes at Moore's Art Rooms in the 1870s-80s. He exhibited at the National Academy, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, and the Brooklyn Art Association. less