Artwork
Breakfast
Breakfast is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist John F. Peto. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:falsely signed, lower right, "WMH" in monogram: WMHARNETT
About this work
Technique & Style
8 cm in height by 22 cm in width, an intimate format suited to the close, tightly arranged still-life arrangement typical of Peto's trompe-l'œil work.
Breakfast is an oil painting executed on academy board, a rigid support favored for its smooth surface and stability. The composition is modest in scale, measuring 14.8 cm in height by 22 cm in width, an intimate format suited to the close, tightly arranged still-life arrangement typical of Peto's trompe-l'œil work. Peto's handling in this period is characterized by meticulous, illusionistic rendering of humble domestic objects, with carefully modeled light and shadow used to heighten the visual deception of three-dimensional form on a two-dimensional board.
The work is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as part of its collection.
The provenance records note that the painting was once listed by the Downtown Gallery under the name of William M. Harnett rather than Peto, reflecting the frequent historical confusion between the two artists' closely related still-life techniques.
History & Provenance
John Frederick Peto completed this oil on academy board painting in 1890. The work entered the modern market when S. David sold it to the Downtown Gallery in New York in April 1939. Although gallery records mistakenly attributed the piece to William M. Harnett and assigned it stock number A25, the gallery resold it to Anson Conger Goodyear the following month.
By 1949, the painting was in the collection of Mrs. Cornelius N. Bliss (née Zaidee C. Cobb) in New York, likely owned jointly with her husband prior to his death in April of that year. She subsequently lent the work to a 1950 exhibition at The Brooklyn Museum.
The painting appeared at auction through Christie, Manson & Woods in New York on February 25, 1972, where dealer John Baskett purchased it on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Following Mrs. Mellon's death, the work was bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1999.
The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., where it is recorded with dimensions 14.8 × 22 cm.
It entered the Gallery as part of the bequest of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon in 1999, having previously belonged to John Baskett, who acquired it at Christie’s New York in 1972. Before that it was in the collection of Mrs. Cornelius N. Bliss, New York, by at least 1949–1950. Earlier, it was sold by the Downtown Gallery, New York, on 3 May 1939 to Anson Conger Goodyear, New York, having been purchased by the Downtown Gallery from S. David in April 1939.
Overview
John Frederick Peto’s oil painting titled Breakfast was executed around 1894 on an academy board. The work belongs to the genre of still life, depicting a modest domestic scene that captures a moment of quiet morning routine.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a small table arranged with a few dishes, a mug, and an open newspaper. The careful placement of ordinary objects invites contemplation of everyday life, emphasizing the intimacy and stillness of a private breakfast setting.
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Artist & collection
Artist
John Frederick Peto (May 21, 1854 – November 23, 1907) was an American trompe-l'œil ("fool the eye") painter who was long forgotten until his paintings were rediscovered along with those of fellow trompe-l'œil artist William Harnett.
Mug, Book, Biscuits, and Match
Natura statică cu borcan
Natură moartă cu fructieră
Still Life with Blue Cup
Untitled
Still Life with Pewter Jar
Still life with a a bottle and tin plate
Still Life with Mustard Pot
Still life with pottery, herring and pancakes, a print of an owl on the wall
Still Life with Straw Hat
The Old Kettle- An English Breakfast