Dining Room Paintings: Still Lifes, Harvests and Gatherings

Food, fruit, flowers and gatherings: the subjects painters have always brought to the table.

Dining rooms have hosted still lifes for four hundred years for a reason. Fruit, bread, wine, flowers and feasts feel generous next to a table, and harvest and market scenes give the room a sense of occasion. Warm palettes flatter candlelight and skin tones, so we favor reds, ochres and deep greens here over cool grays. Because people are seated, hang the center of the painting a little lower than usual, around 54 to 57 in (137 to 145 cm) from the floor. Narrow walls between windows suit portrait formats; a sideboard wall takes a horizontal work about two thirds of the sideboard's width. We keep dead game and butchery still lifes out of this room by default.

The Basket of Apples, Paul Cézanne 16 × 20 in landscape print (41 × 51 cm), centered 47¼ in from the floor, 8 in above the dining table. Drawn to scale on a 12 × 8 ft wall.

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Showing 1 to 48 of 507 paintings

Painting of a basket of green and red-yellow apples spilling over into a white cloth placed on a wooden table, with a dark green bottle and a plate of pale biscuits behind.

Paul Cézanne The Basket of Apples, c. 1893 Art Institute of Chicago

The Harvesters, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1565, oil on oak

Pieter Bruegel the Elder The Harvesters, 1565 The Met

Irises, Vincent van Gogh, 1890, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh Irises, 1890 The Met

A young woman in a dark hat and coat with light ruffled collar sits reading a large periodical held up in her gloved hands. Flowers and foliage are suggested behind her.

Édouard Manet Woman Reading, 1880–82 Art Institute of Chicago

A young girl with medium skin wears a striking dress of black and white stripes with a short lace collar. Behind her is backdrop featuring symbols and native figures. Mangos sit beside her.

Paul Gauguin Merahi metua no Tehamana (Tehamana Has Many Parents or The Ancestors of Tehamana), 1893 Art Institute of Chicago

Still life of geranium plant, fruit, water pitcher, and two cats.

Henri Matisse Still Life with Geranium, 1906 Art Institute of Chicago

The Musicians, Caravaggio, 1597, oil on canvas

Caravaggio The Musicians, 1597 The Met

A Woman Seated beside a Vase of Flowers (Madame Paul Valpinçon?), Edgar Degas, 1865, oil on canvas

Edgar Degas A Woman Seated beside a Vase of Flowers (Madame Paul Valpinçon?), 1865 The Met

Merrymakers at Shrovetide, Frans Hals, ca. 1616–17, oil on canvas

Frans Hals Merrymakers at Shrovetide, ca. 1616–17 The Met

Still life of sensuously detailed painting of four white magnolias lying on blue velvet cloth.

Martin Johnson Heade Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth, 1885–95 Art Institute of Chicago

Opulently dressed light-skinned man and woman drink at a small table. A mirror behind them reflects a crowd. Her blue dress and dark hat dominate.

William Glackens At Mouquin's, 1905 Art Institute of Chicago

In a beige room, a group of light-skinned men of various ages and a young boy clap as a figure in tattered clothing at center, his back to the viewer, dances and holds a tin cup in the air.

William Sidney Mount Bar-room Scene, 1835 Art Institute of Chicago

Merry Company on a Terrace, Jan Steen, ca. 1670, oil on canvas

Jan Steen Merry Company on a Terrace, ca. 1670 The Met

A plucked chicken, a few stray feathers remaining, hangs upside-down by one foot, illuminated. Behind it the metal hinges and wood panels of a door are visible.

William Michael Harnett For Sunday's Dinner, 1888 Art Institute of Chicago

Still life painting of strawberries, nuts, lemon, and porcelain vessels.

Raphaelle Peale Still Life—Strawberries, Nuts, &c., 1822 Art Institute of Chicago

Still life painting of dead waterfowl and vegetables in windowsill.

Juan Sánchez Cotán Still Life with Game Fowl, c. 1600–3 Art Institute of Chicago

Still Life with Meat, Fish, Vegetables, and Fruit, Jacob van Hulsdonck, c. 1615–20, oil on panel, the reverse prepared with gesso

Jacob van Hulsdonck Still Life with Meat, Fish, Vegetables, and Fruit, c. 1615–20 Cleveland Museum of Art

Still Life—Violin and Music, William Michael Harnett, 1888, oil on canvas

William Michael Harnett Still Life—Violin and Music, 1888 The Met

Young Husband: First Marketing, Lilly Martin Spencer, 1854, oil on canvas

Lilly Martin Spencer Young Husband: First Marketing, 1854 The Met

The Afternoon Meal (La Merienda), Luis Meléndez, ca. 1772, oil on canvas

Luis Meléndez The Afternoon Meal (La Merienda), ca. 1772 The Met

The Last Supper, Ugolino da Siena, ca. 1325, tempera and gold on wood

Ugolino da Siena The Last Supper, ca. 1325 The Met

Untitled (Cracked Watermelon), Charles Ethan Porter, ca. 1890, oil on canvas

Charles Ethan Porter Untitled (Cracked Watermelon), ca. 1890 The Met

Fish Market, Joachim Beuckelaer, 1568, oil on Baltic oak

Joachim Beuckelaer Fish Market, 1568 The Met

Emma Van Name, Joshua Johnson, ca. 1805, oil on canvasPainting

Joshua Johnson Emma Van Name, ca. 1805 The Met

A Bouquet of Flowers, Clara Peeters, ca. 1612, oil on wood

Clara Peeters A Bouquet of Flowers, ca. 1612 The Met

Nocturne, John La Farge, ca. 1885, watercolor, gouache, and charcoal on off-white wove paper adhered to wove paper

John La Farge Nocturne, ca. 1885 The Met

Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses, Paul Cézanne, ca. 1890, oil on canvas

Paul Cézanne Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses, ca. 1890 The Met

Fête champêtre (Pastoral Gathering), Antoine Watteau, 1718–21, oil on panel

Antoine Watteau Fête champêtre (Pastoral Gathering), 1718–21 Art Institute of Chicago

Thistles, John Singer Sargent, 1883–89, oil on canvas

John Singer Sargent Thistles, 1883–89 Art Institute of Chicago

Still Life: Wood Tankard and Metal Pitcher, Paul Gauguin, 1880, oil on linen canvas

Paul Gauguin Still Life: Wood Tankard and Metal Pitcher, 1880 Art Institute of Chicago

Apples and grapes rest in a shallow wicker basket on a table covered with a light-colored cloth. Additional fruit is scattered on the table.

Claude Monet Apples and Grapes, 1880 Art Institute of Chicago

Orange, yellow, and white flowers in a brown vase on a round table, with a blue-green floral tablecloth and mottled, brownish background.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Chrysanthemums, 1881–82 Art Institute of Chicago

Fruits of the Midi, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1881, oil on canvas

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Fruits of the Midi, 1881 Art Institute of Chicago

Kitchen Scene, Diego Velázquez, 1618–20, oil on canvas

Diego Velázquez Kitchen Scene, 1618–20 Art Institute of Chicago

The White Tablecloth, Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, c. 1731–32, oil on canvas

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin The White Tablecloth, c. 1731–32 Art Institute of Chicago

Apples, Henri Matisse, 1916, oil on canvas

Henri Matisse Apples, 1916 Art Institute of Chicago

Grapes, Lemons, Pears, and Apples, Vincent van Gogh, 1887, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh Grapes, Lemons, Pears, and Apples, 1887 Art Institute of Chicago

Painting depicting Christ anointed by a woman in yellow, seated centrally at a crowded table of guests with long thin grayish faces in colorful robes with strong white highlights.

El Greco The Feast in the House of Simon, c. 1608–14 Art Institute of Chicago

The Plate of Apples, Paul Cézanne, c. 1877, oil on canvas

Paul Cézanne The Plate of Apples, c. 1877 Art Institute of Chicago

Harvest Scene, Winslow Homer, ca. 1873, oil on canvas

Winslow Homer Harvest Scene, ca. 1873 The Met

Allegory of Autumn, François Boucher, 1753, oil on canvas

François Boucher Allegory of Autumn, 1753 The Met

Still Life with Apples and Pears, Paul Cézanne, ca. 1891–92, oil on canvas

Paul Cézanne Still Life with Apples and Pears, ca. 1891–92 The Met

Still Life with Jar, Cup, and Apples, Paul Cézanne, ca. 1877, oil on canvas

Paul Cézanne Still Life with Jar, Cup, and Apples, ca. 1877 The Met

The Silver Tureen, Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, ca. 1728–30, oil on canvas

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin The Silver Tureen, ca. 1728–30 The Met

Basket of Flowers, Eugène Delacroix, 1848–49, oil on canvas

Eugène Delacroix Basket of Flowers, 1848–49 The Met

Sunflowers, Vincent van Gogh, 1887, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers, 1887 The Met

Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, Vincent van Gogh, 1890, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, 1890 The Met

Oleanders, Vincent van Gogh, 1888, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh Oleanders, 1888 The Met

Collections for the dining room

Guides

Guest Room 232 shared
Living Room 199 shared
Bedroom 195 shared
Kitchen 132 shared

Collections for the dining room

Guides

Rooms that share paintings