Past Exhibition

Raphaelle Peale Still Lifes

A shallow bowl filled with oranges, grapes, and nuts is surrounded by a short, flaring glass, a glass decanter, a lemon, and more nuts arranged along a wooden tabletop in this horizontal still life painting. The objects nearly fill the composition, and the table extends off both sides. The three oranges are pale, with the one at the center nearly yellow, and a stem of dark green leaves lies across the top. A bunch of shriveled grapes, like raisins still on the vine, lies across the almonds and other nuts, all in their shells, in the bowl. The outside of the bowl is white, and it has a gently scalloped rim. A lemon sits to our left of the bowl of fruit, and behind it, the glass decanter has a teardrop-shaped glass stopper. Light coming from the front and our left makes the peachy liquid glow. To our right are four whole walnuts in their shells, with a few grapes hanging from the bowl. Behind the walnuts, a long stemmed, flaring, clear glass is almost filled with the peach-colored liquid. The background is deeply shadowed at the upper left, lightening slightly to elephant gray toward the lower right. The artist inscribed the painting as if he had written his name, date, and location on the front edge of the table, near the lower right corner: “Raphaelle Peale Aug: 5th 1814 Philad:”
Raphaelle Peale, A Dessert, 1814, oil on wood, Gift of Jo Ann and Julian Ganz, Jr. in memory of Franklin D. Murphy, 1999.44.1

Details

  • Dates

    -

  • Locations

    East Building, Ground Floor, Northwest, Pod II (3,500 sq. ft.)
A shallow bowl filled with oranges, grapes, and nuts is surrounded by a short, flaring glass, a glass decanter, a lemon, and more nuts arranged along a wooden tabletop in this horizontal still life painting. The objects nearly fill the composition, and the table extends off both sides. The three oranges are pale, with the one at the center nearly yellow, and a stem of dark green leaves lies across the top. A bunch of shriveled grapes, like raisins still on the vine, lies across the almonds and other nuts, all in their shells, in the bowl. The outside of the bowl is white, and it has a gently scalloped rim. A lemon sits to our left of the bowl of fruit, and behind it, the glass decanter has a teardrop-shaped glass stopper. Light coming from the front and our left makes the peachy liquid glow. To our right are four whole walnuts in their shells, with a few grapes hanging from the bowl. Behind the walnuts, a long stemmed, flaring, clear glass is almost filled with the peach-colored liquid. The background is deeply shadowed at the upper left, lightening slightly to elephant gray toward the lower right. The artist inscribed the painting as if he had written his name, date, and location on the front edge of the table, near the lower right corner: “Raphaelle Peale Aug: 5th 1814 Philad:”
Raphaelle Peale, A Dessert, 1814, oil on wood, Gift of Jo Ann and Julian Ganz, Jr. in memory of Franklin D. Murphy, 1999.44.1

Overview: 32 paintings by Raphaelle Peale were presented in this first exhibition devoted to his still lifes. Several paintings by James Peale, Charles Willson Peale, and Rembrandt Peale also were included.

Organization: The exhibition was organized jointly by the National Gallery and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Nicolai Cikovsky Jr. was coordinator at the Gallery. Gaillard Ravenel and Mark Leithauser designed the exhibition and Gordon Anson designed the lighting.

Sponsor: The exhibition was supported by a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts, and at the Gallery by The Circle of the National Gallery of Art.

Attendance: 142,001

Catalog: Raphaelle Peale Still Lifes, by Nicolai Cikovsky Jr. with Linda Bantel and John Wilmerding. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1988.

Other Venues:

  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

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