Still Life, Tea Service

Claude Monet

1872

Oil on canvas

Dallas Museum of Art

Although he is primarily known for his landscapes, Claude Monet was also a prodigious still-life painter, especially during his early career. Completed two years before the first Impressionist exhibition, this image of a porcelain tea service and sage plant demonstrates Monet’s remarkable ability to render textures. The velvety sage leaves contrast with the matte tablecloth, the slick red lacquered tray, and the shine of the blue-and-white china. The reflections on the spoon and ceramic object reveal Monet’s fascination with the way light interacts with various surfaces. In 1886, Still Life, Tea Service was featured in New York City