A mound of creamy, yellow butter sits to our left of center on a wooden table against an olive-green background in this horizontal still life painting. White cloth, presumably the wrapper or cover, is pushed down around the base of the mound to expose the heap of butter. The top of the mound has a few gouge marks and furrows. A long, narrow wooden paddle is stuck vertically into the right side of the mound, and is submerged almost up to the handle in butter. Two white eggs rest on the table in front of the white fabric, to our right of center. Loose brushstrokes are visible throughout, so…
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Mound of Butter

painter Antoine Vollon (French, 1833 - 1900)

1875/1885

Medium
oil on canvas
Classification
Painting
Dimensions
overall: 50.2 x 61 cm (19 3/4 x 24 in.) ; framed: 68 x 78.1 x 7.6 cm (26 3/4 x 30 3/4 x 3 in.)
Culture
French
Museum
National Gallery of Art, CF
Credit line
Chester Dale Fund
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