A Deception (c. 1780)

Samuel Lewis is the artist behind "A Deception", dated c. 1780. Context for c. 1780: The Enlightenment and the habit of the Grand Tour fed a wider interest in science, travel, antiquity, and natural history, and illustrators accompanied many expeditions. The eighteenth century began with the light, ornamental Rococo, especially in France, and moved towards the clarity and antique references of Neoclassicism by the end of the century. Still Life in brief: Still life, the arrangement of flowers, fruit, tableware, and other objects, became a distinct genre in the Netherlands and Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Later artists, including Cézanne, Matisse, and Picasso, used humble still-life subjects to test ideas about space and form. The catalogue places it in Still Life. The format is landscape.

Everything for "A Deception" arrives digitally: Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI. Once payment is confirmed, an email brings the download link, and from there you decide how to print it, whether at home, at a print shop, or through an online service. A landscape format suits wide, low wall spaces such as the stretch above a bed, mantel, or sideboard. Matching the frame to the image proportions avoids cropping. Hang the print away from direct sunlight, which over the years can fade any printed colour. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size. Matte and fine-art papers reduce glare in bright rooms, while glossy papers give stronger contrast and deeper blacks.

American, 1753–1822

If you like the visual language of Samuel Lewis, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.