Still Life

Orientalised still-lifes featuring exotic decorative objects were popular with the subcontinent collectors in the beginning of the 20th century. Etched and pierced copperware like the plate framing the ewer and the bowl of typical Persian design were found in numerous bazaars in India.
Evocative of the Dutch Baroque still-lifes depicting food remains and symbolising life’s ephemerality, this classic composition also features a left open jewellery box that could represent an unfinished chore and ultimately abandonment. The same elements in a similar composition are represented in Dolce Farniente (1920), where the artist portrays his wife reclining in the style of the 19th century Orientalists.
References: Shihandi, Marcella, et al, António Xavier Trindade: An Indian Painter from Portuguese Goa (exhibition catalogue), Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, 1996.