Severin Rosen, Fruit and Flowers
Severen Rosen, German American (1815-1872)
Oil on Canvas, signed, c. 1865
Characteristic of his detailed abundant arrangements of fruit, glassware, and natural elements on a stone ledge, this Oil on Canvas showcases the artist’s strength at layering nature’s bounty in dramatic still life paintings.
Severen Rosen
Rosen was heavily inspired by the Dutch seventeenth and early eighteenth century still life genre. Born in Germany, he immigrated to the United States in 1848, bringing with him the meticulous techniques of European still-life painting. His compositions reflected the prosperity and abundance of Victorian America. Grapes, peaches, berries, and other fruits were rendered with extraordinary precision, often suggesting nature’s bounty and the comforts of domestic life.
A williamsport newspaper reported in 1895 that Rosen regularly entertained friends in his studio while drinking beer. According to the account, he habitually included a beer glass in his paintings and would remove it if a purchaser objected.