Late 20th century Realist oil on canvas painting after "Ease" by William Michael Harnett. Still life featuring an array of instruments, books and flowers on a table with a red and blue cloth. Gilt composite frame with a scalloped foliate design. William Michael Harnett (August 10, 1848 – October 29, 1892) was an American painter known for his trompe-l'œil still lifes of ordinary objects. Harnett was born in Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland, during the time of the Great Famine. His father was a shoemaker.[1] Shortly after Harnett's birth his family emigrated to America, settling in Philadelphia. He was naturalized as a United States citizen in 1868. He learned engraving at the age of seventeen, and between 1865 and 1875 he made a living first in Philadelphia and then in New York City by engraving designs on table silver for firms such as Tiffany and Company. During this period he also took night classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and later, in New York, at Cooper Union and at the National Academy of Design. His first known oil paintings date from 1874; among them are studies of plaster casts of Minerva and Cupid and his first known finished still-life painting, Paint Tube and Grapes. Dimensions: 25.5" x 2.5" x 22" (Width x Depth x Height)