Close Relations. By Samuel Jr. Theobald

A table, draped in eggshell cloth and situated in front of a curtain of the same color, holds a vase containing cherry blossoms, a tea cup, a decorated box—perhaps a tea chest?—and a small statue of a frog. Each of the items seems to evoke East Asian influences, such as the woman on the vase wearing a Japanese kimono, and the frog, a traditional symbol of good luck in Japan. The painting’s title alludes to myriad connections in the world, an encompassing family including but not limited to humans. A few blossoms on the table subtly remind us of temporal change.