Still Life with Silver and Gold Plate, Shells, and a Sword
Eighteenth-century connoisseur Pierre-Jean Mariette recalled that in the previous century the still-life painter Meiffren Conte had painted "carpets, armor, and gold or silver . . . with great veracity." Conte favored exceptionally rare or expensive objects, notably elaborate metalwork of which his paintings are frequently the only visual record given the regularity with which they were melted down, first with the economic pressures of war under Louis XIV and then the political instability of the French Revolution.
Artwork Details
- Title: Still Life with Silver and Gold Plate, Shells, and a Sword
- Artist: Meiffren Conte (French, Marseilles ca. 1630–1705 Marseilles)
- Date: fourth quarter 17th century
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 40 × 50 3/4 in. (101.6 × 128.9 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Russell B. Aitken, 2012
- Object Number: 2012.542
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
French, probably Paris
ca. 1550–55
Jean-Baptiste Greuze
ca. 1767–69
Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée)
ca. 1643
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard
1785
Georges de La Tour
probably 1630s
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.