Manet, Édouard (1832-1883)
Huîtres (Oysters)
1862
Oil on canvas, 39.2 x 46.8 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington
A plate of oysters, a halved lemon, an oyster fork and shells, and a dish of salt are arranged on a wooden tabletop in front of a gray wall in this horizontal still life painting. The front edge of the table seems close to us, and the objects span the width of this composition. Six oysters are crowded on the oval plate, which is white and edged with royal blue. The narrow tines of the oyster fork are angled toward the plate as the handle, which is shaped like the blade of a butter knife, angles to our right and seems to jut into our space. The two empty shells are next to the knife in front of the lemon, which has been cut in half through its girth. One cut edge faces our left and the other half rests with its cut edge down on the table. The bowl with salt mounded within is about the same size as the lemon and has a border of brown at the top and near the foot. The entire painting is loosely painted with visible brushstrokes, and some vague lines on the side of the bowl suggest a Japanese or Chinese character. (NGA)