Soup Bowl Covers 

Frederic Bazille made this painting of soup bowl covers with oil on canvas in France. Bazille was a contemporary of the Impressionists, but never exhibited with them and died young in the Franco-Prussian War. Though it's a simple still life, the image offers a glimpse into the culture of the time, hinting at middle-class domestic life. The carefully painted floral decorations on the ceramic surfaces show us the importance of craftsmanship and decorative arts in French society. These soup bowls weren't just utilitarian objects; they were also symbols of status and refinement. Art historians research the decorative arts of the period and the cultural context in which the artist lived to fully understand such works. The painting reminds us that even seemingly mundane objects can reveal a great deal about the values and tastes of a particular time and place. It's a job for social history to interpret why certain objects hold particular significance.