The Afternoon Meal (La Merienda)

Created around 1772 by Spanish artist Luis Egidio Meléndez, the oil-on-canvas painting The Afternoon Meal (La Merienda) was executed during the mid-eighteenth century. The work remained in the collection of the Marquis Gaspar de Remisa in Madrid until the mid-nineteenth century. Subsequently, it passed to his descendants, specifically residing with Madame de Moret by the early twentieth century, before entering the private holdings of Señor Don Salvador Moret.

The painting remained in private hands in Madrid through the mid-twentieth century. In 1982, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York acquired the work from the private collection of Jack and Belle Linsky, cataloging it under inventory number 1982.60.39.

The Afternoon Meal (La Merienda) is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Its accession number is 1982.60.39, assigned when the work entered the museum’s collection in 1982 from the private collection of Jack and Belle Linsky. Prior to acquisition, the painting belonged to the Spanish aristocrat Gaspar de Remisa and remained in his family until the mid‑20th century.

The work is documented in the museum’s catalogue and has been listed in the institution’s permanent collection displays, though it has not been featured in major traveling exhibitions.

Luis Egidio Meléndez's The Afternoon Meal (c. 1772) stands as a significant example of Spanish academic still life, distinguished by its monumental scale and complex outdoor composition. Unlike traditional indoor bodegones, the work depicts a late-summer picnic scene with specific regional pottery from Puente de Arzobispo and Alcorcón, reflecting a detailed observation of material culture. The painting's historical trajectory is well-documented; it remained in the collection of the Marquis of Remisa in Madrid until the mid-twentieth century before entering the private Linsky collection.

Its acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1982 solidified its status in major international holdings. Scholarly attention, notably in Peter Cherry's 2006 monograph and earlier 1930s exhibition catalogs, highlights the work's geometric composition and chromatic contrasts as key elements of Meléndez's mature style within the eighteenth-century Spanish canon.

Luis Egidio Meléndez's oil painting, The Afternoon Meal (La Merienda), created around 1772, exemplifies the still life genre of the mid-eighteenth century. This work, rendered in oil on canvas, meticulously presents a collection of everyday foodstuffs and kitchen items. It is characterized by its detailed depiction of textures and the naturalistic arrangement of objects, inviting viewers to observe the simple beauty of a prepared repast.