Still Life with Fruit, Cakes and Wine

Raphaelle Peale painted still lifes at a time when doing so was not popular. Portraits like those by his father, the painter Charles Willson Peale, were more prestigious. Though considered suitable for amateurs, still lifes were generally regarded as beneath professional artists like the Peale family. But in his later years Raphaelle concentrated on them, becoming the first professional still-life painter in the United States. Still Life with Fruit, Cakes, and Wine, which includes dates and hazelnuts, was likely a Christmas gift. It is dated December 24, 1821.