Still Life with Goldfish Bowl

In 1809 French troops occupied Vienna for the second time in four years, and Napoleon set up his headquarters at Schönbrunn, the palace where Knapp had been painting the exotic plants of the Dutch Garden since 1808. He signed and dated this canvas the following year. Nothing of the war reaches it. A glass bowl with goldfish stands on a stone ledge, ringed by roses, a striped tulip and blue delphiniums. Below, a wicker basket has tipped over, spilling grapes, peaches and pears. A green parrot perches on its rim, and a white rabbit with black ears sniffs at fallen plums. The seasons do not match, spring flowers beside autumn fruit and a red cabbage, since a painted bouquet could gather what no garden grows at once. Knapp's signature and the date are on the floor slab at the lower right.