Still Life with Wine, Cake, and Nuts

Maker Raphaelle Peale (American, 1774 - 1825)

Collections

ClassificationsPAINTINGS

Date1819

Mediumoil on panel

Dimensions12 1/4 x 14 3/4 in. (31.1 x 37.5 cm.) frame: 18 3/8 x 21 x 3 1/8 in. (46.7 x 53.3 x 7.9 cm.)

SignedSigned and dated in lower right of recto: Raphaelle Peale Phil 1819

InscribedSigned and dated in lower right of recto: Raphaelle Peale Phil 1819 Inscribed in the lower right of recto: Painted for R Gilmor Esq B... [Baltimore?] Inscribed on verso: Copyright of picture / Raphael Peale Phila. Pa 1819 / for Robert Gilmour Esq. Balt [?] / Md Inscribed in upper right of verso: A20537 1/2 FR#1 / A20537

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gift of the Virginia Steele Scott Foundation

Status

Not on view

Label TextLike a music box, this painting is a little universe unto itself. The scene is decadent but spare. An iced Queen’s cake has been sliced and falls open on a plate. A bagel tilts against the gleaming rim of a plate, on a tabletop arrayed with grapes, nuts, and a single glass of wine. Behind it all, a strangely animate plant springs forth from a shadowy background. Although it does not depict a dramatic scene from history, this still life contains its own drama: between indulgence and moderation, between fullness and emptiness.

Born into a family of artists, Raphaelle Peale was one of the first American artists to specialize in still life, at a time when portraiture and history painting were seen as more worthwhile pursuits. His still life painting—mysterious and self-contained—is a quiet act of rebellion.

Object number83.8.36

Exhibitions

American Made: Selections from The Huntington's Early American Art Collections