A plate of oysters, a halved lemon, an oyster fork and shells, and a dish of salt are arranged on a wooden tabletop in front of a gray wall in this horizontal still life painting. The front edge of the table seems close to us, and the objects span the width of this composition. Six oysters are crowded on the oval plate, which is white and edged with royal blue. The narrow tines of the oyster fork are angled toward the plate as the handle, which is shaped like the blade of a butter knife, angles to our right and seems to jut into our space. The two empty shells are next to the knife in front…
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Oysters

Edouard Manet (French, 1832 - 1883)

1862

Medium
oil on canvas
Classification
Painting
Dimensions
overall: 39.2 x 46.8 cm (15 7/16 x 18 7/16 in.) ; framed: 60 x 67.6 x 8.9 cm (23 5/8 x 26 5/8 x 3 1/2 in.)
Culture
French
Museum
National Gallery of Art, CF
Credit line
Gift of the Adele R. Levy Fund, Inc.
Rights
Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art