A Cottage Interior: An Old Woman Preparing Tea
Oil Painting
1793 (painted)
1793 (painted)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This cottage interior is painted in great detail, as the story of the picture is told not by actions, but by the objects displayed in it. Bigg specialised in painting genre pictures of the 'virtuous poor', whose poverty he indicated by depicting the modest and unshowy nature of the few things they possessed. The little table is set with the old lady's frugal meal of bread, butter and tea. She sits before a small fire of twigs, where her kettle is boiling. The teapot, cup and saucer, knife and tea caddy on the table are carefully painted, as is the square wooden platter, with a circular hole for the salt, shown propped up on the shelf behind her. Wooden plates were cheaper than pewter, and less fragile than ceramic dishes.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | A Cottage Interior: An Old Woman Preparing Tea (popular title) |
Materials and techniques | oil on canvas |
Brief description | Oil painting, 'A Cottage Interior - an Old Woman Preparing Tea', William Redmore Bigg, 1793 |
Physical description | Oil painting |
Dimensions |
|
Style | |
Marks and inscriptions | 'W R Bigg 1793' (Signed and dated by the artist) |
Object history | Probably exhibited at the Royal Academy, 1794 [14] as `Poor old woman's comfort.' |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | This cottage interior is painted in great detail, as the story of the picture is told not by actions, but by the objects displayed in it. Bigg specialised in painting genre pictures of the 'virtuous poor', whose poverty he indicated by depicting the modest and unshowy nature of the few things they possessed. The little table is set with the old lady's frugal meal of bread, butter and tea. She sits before a small fire of twigs, where her kettle is boiling. The teapot, cup and saucer, knife and tea caddy on the table are carefully painted, as is the square wooden platter, with a circular hole for the salt, shown propped up on the shelf behind her. Wooden plates were cheaper than pewter, and less fragile than ceramic dishes. |
Associated object | |
Bibliographic reference | p.20
Taste and Essence, Macau : Museu de Arte, 2013. ISBN: 9789996502040. |
Collection | |
Accession number | 199-1885 |
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Record created | December 15, 1999 |
Record URL |
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