Still Life with Earthenware Jug, Loaf and Strawberries
- Artist: Jean Hippolyte Marchand
- Date: 1918 - 1919
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the Still Life with Earthenware Jug, Loaf and Strawberries by Jean Hippolyte Marchand. The canvas, painted between 1918 and 1919, sits in a quiet, intimate space that invites you to linger. Marchand, a French painter of the early twentieth century, chose oil on canvas to bring a subtle depth to everyday objects.
At first glance the composition is deceptively simple: a rough‑handed earthenware jug, a crusted loaf of bread, and a cluster of bright red strawberries. The jug sits at the left, its muted glaze catching a shaft of light that creates gentle shadows on its belly. The loaf, half‑baked and still warm, offers a rough texture that contrasts with the smooth, glossy surface of the jug. The strawberries, vivid and almost translucent, provide a splash of color that draws the eye across the scene.
Marchand’s brushwork is relaxed yet intentional. He layers thin glazes of oil to build luminosity, allowing the light to bounce off the surfaces. The background is muted, almost blurred, so the focus remains on the objects themselves. The overall mood feels calm, almost contemplative, as if the viewer is sharing a quiet moment with the painter.
The painting reflects a post‑war longing for ordinary beauty. In an era of upheaval, Marchand’s still life reminds us that even simple items—jug, loaf, strawberries—can hold profound visual poetry when rendered with care.
See it in person
Still Life with Earthenware Jug, Loaf and Strawberries hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
