Still Life with Fan and Roses

Thomas Hovenden painted a few still lifes in addition to his better-known genre scenes. Here, a seemingly casual arrangement of objects masks the care that Hovenden took to create a balanced composition. The arc of blooms in the lower right echoes the details of the graceful Japanese fan that anchors the painting. Clear light, luminous shadows, and a mix of humble and exotic objects evoke the golden age of Dutch still-life painting, a tradition Hovenden likely knew from his Paris teachers and his hours spent in museums.