About this artwork

Although apparently a straightforward trompe l’oeil (illusionist) still life, an inscription on the back of this picture claims that it has a symbolic message. The note reads '2 Royalist Allegorical Pictures/Explanation in the Keeping of the/family'. This explanation having been lost, the precise meaning of the picture has defied convincing interpretation. In its general composition the painting evokes the still-life paintings of the 17th century Netherlandish artist Edwaert Colyer. This is Warrender’s only known easel painting.

Updated before 2020

  • artist:
    Thomas Warrender (1662 - about 1715) Scottish
  • title:
    Still Life
  • date created:
    1708
  • materials:
    Oil on canvas
  • measurements:
    59.10 x 74.30 cm; Framed: 71.00 x 87.10 x 7.50 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Purchased 1980
  • accession number:
    NG 2404
  • gallery:
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Thomas Warrender

Thomas Warrender