Melons and Morning Glories

Raphaelle Peale, Melons and Morning Glories, 1813, oil on canvas, 20 ³⁄₄ x 25 ³⁄₄ in. (52.6 x 65.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Paul Mellon, 1967.39.2

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Artwork Details

Title: Melons and Morning Glories
Artist: Raphaelle Peale
Date: 1813
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
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2nd Floor
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South Wing
Dimensions: 20 ³⁄₄ x 25 ³⁄₄ in. (52.6 x 65.4 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Paul Mellon
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Still life — flower — morning-glory
Still life — fruit — watermelon
Object Number: 1967.39.2
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1967.39.2

Artwork Description

Raphaelle Peale's father, Charles Willson Peale, urged his son to paint portraits instead of still lifes, which brought an artist less prestige and fewer commissions. But still lifes suited Raphaelle, who also worked as a taxidermist. He painted this melon as if it were a body opened up for examination, detailing its fluids and flesh so that the painting suggests life, fertility, and death, all at once.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006