Watercolor, gouache, and gum over graphite on moderately thick, slightly textured, beige wove paper
Dimensions:
Sheet: 7 3/4 x 9 1/2 inches (19.7 x 24.1 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1977.14.5923
Gallery Label:
From around 184o still life became the dominant theme of Hunt’s art. John Ruskin thought he was one of the greatest still-life painters in the history of Western art. Hunt developed new techniques to achieve the extraordinary mimetic effects in still lifes such as Plums and Mulberries. Instead of applying watercolor directly on paper, he painted a foundation layer of gum and opaque Chinese white on which watercolor could then be laid in liquid glazes. This had the advantage of giving a lustrous brilliance to the colors by allowing the white ground to shine through in the manner of enamel or porcelain painting. Gallery label for Great British Watercolors from the Paul Mellon Collection at the Yale Center for British Art (Yale Center for British Art, 2008-06-09 - 2008-08-17)
