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Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms

1875
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 760
Heade, an ardent devotee of natural history, gave equal attention to landscape and still life throughout his career. He first painted apple blossoms around 1865, when he included them in his extensive series of works featuring hummingbirds in a variety of habitats. In this example, the hummingbird is perched on a lower branch and silhouetted against the sky, as recommended to painters by the English critic John Ruskin. The blossoms, freshly studied from nature, appear especially light and airy against the thick storm clouds.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms
  • Artist: Martin Johnson Heade (1819–1904)
  • Date: 1875
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 12 3/16 x 14 1/8 in. (31 x 35.9 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. J. Augustus Barnard, 1979
  • Object Number: 1979.490.11
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Sketch for "Approaching Thunder Storm", Martin Johnson Heade American, Graphite on off-white wove paper, American
Sketch for "Approaching Thunder Storm"
Martin Johnson Heade
Hummingbird and Passionflowers, Martin Johnson Heade American, Oil on canvas, American
Hummingbird and Passionflowers
Martin Johnson Heade
ca. 1875–85
Newburyport Meadows, Martin Johnson Heade American, Oil on canvas, American
Newburyport Meadows
Martin Johnson Heade
ca. 1876–81
Approaching Thunder Storm, Martin Johnson Heade American, Oil on canvas, American
Approaching Thunder Storm
Martin Johnson Heade
1859
Twilight on the Sound, Darien, Connecticut, John Frederick Kensett American, Oil on canvas, American
Twilight on the Sound, Darien, Connecticut
John Frederick Kensett
1872

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