Toleware Box c. 1941

Charles Henning made this painting of a Toleware Box, but we don’t know exactly when. Look at the worn, reddish brown of the box, its surface scratched and marked with the stories of time. I feel like Henning is almost touching the box, tracing its outline with his brush, and it is like he is looking at something very old, and he tries to reanimate it with these bright flowers. I imagine him carefully applying each stroke, trying to capture the texture and the feel of the metal. I see a conversation between the past and the present, between something functional and something beautiful. Perhaps the flowers are not so carefully painted because they are springing to life, almost like an apparition. Henning’s box reminds me that painting isn't just about representation; it’s about feeling, memory, and the stories that objects carry.