FEYERABEND DIT LELONG, Johann Rudolf (French, 1779-1814). Still Life [Blue Urn with Roses, Musical instruments, Coral and water glass]

FEYERABEND DIT LELONG, Johann Rudolf (French, 1779-1814)
Still Life [Blue Urn with Roses, Musical instruments, Coral and water glass]
Watercolor on paper
5 1/4” x 7 1/4” visible
8” x 10” framed
$4,000

This finely detailed watercolor still life by Johann Rudolf Feyerabend dit Lelong brings together an evocative arrangement of objects associated with refinement, study, and artistic pleasure. A blue urn filled with roses forms the compositional centerpiece, its cool glaze and delicately modeled petals contrasting against the warm tones of the musical instruments placed at the forefront. A lute and a violin rest beside an open musical score, their curves rendered with confident control of line and subtle gradations of color. To the left, a glass of water and a piece of branching coral introduce contrasting textures—transparency, solidity, and organic intricacy—within the intimate horizontal format.

Feyerabend, active in Paris at the turn of the nineteenth century, is admired for his precisely rendered cabinet-sized still lifes, often executed in watercolor for collectors who valued both technical virtuosity and the restrained elegance of small-form works. His compositions frequently gather objects that speak to domestic cultivation: music, flowers, fine ceramics, and natural specimens. In this example, the combination of roses, instruments, coral, and glass suggests themes of harmony, beauty, and contemplation, echoing the symbolic vocabulary of French still life painting from the late eighteenth century into the Empire period.

The artist’s control of watercolor is evident throughout the sheet, from the careful treatment of reflected light on the glass to the rich shadows cast by the instruments. The coral, rendered with delicate precision, brings an element of curiosity and travel into the scene, reinforcing the era’s fascination with collecting both artistic and natural wonders.

Tastefully framed and beautifully preserved, this work is a distinguished example of Feyerabend’s refined still life tradition, offering collectors a synthesis of technical mastery, decorative charm, and symbolic richness within a jewel-like scale.