Jug, Books, and Candle on a Cupboard Shelf
John Frederick Peto
American, 1854–1907

Details
Title
Jug, Books, and Candle on a Cupboard Shelf
Artist/Maker
John Frederick Peto (American, 1854–1907)
Date
ca. 1890
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
30 1/4 x 22 1/8 inches
Credit
Gift of Julie and Arthur Montgomery, 1980.60
Accession #
1980.60
On View
Currently not on view
This simple tabletop assemblage features several of John Frederick Peto’s favorite motifs: tattered books, crockery, and other junk-shop miscellany. Peto was part of the late 1800s American revival of the seventeenth-century Dutch trompe l’oeil style (trick of the eye) and animated his compositions through playful arrangements. Here, a book cover hanging from its threads and a candle teetering atop the edge of a pipe introduce an element of tension. Peto’s preference for such humble, everyday objects gave his work an especially populist appeal.
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