PEACHES (UN)COVERED BY A HANDKERCHIEF, 2023
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1. Ceramics
2. Peaches
3. Raphaelle Peale
1. Ceramics
Dish
Made in China, 1550–1620
Made of Hard-Paste Porcelain
Diam. 11.625”
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. Bolton McBryde, R1992.10.87
2. Peaches
Peaches are referenced in Chinese art as early as the 2nd century and are one of the most important and popular motifs in Chinese culture. They symbolize longevity, based on the ancient tale of the Queen Mother of the West’s special orchard, which had rare peaches that ripened every 6000 years and that would grant immortality to those who ate one.3. Raphaelle Peale
This piece responds directly to Raphaelle Peale (1774–1825), who was one of the earliest and most well-known American still life painters, and in doing so, evokes the idea of artistic lineages. Raphaelle Peale came from a family of artists, and he studied and collaborated with his father Charles Wilson Peale (who painted George Washington’s portrait a number of times—see the one at Washington & Lee). By directly referencing Raphaelle’s work, Stephanie Shih embeds herself within the rich tradition of American still life. This idea of lineage also aligns Shih’s work to the practices in classical Chinese painting: Chinese painters are known for “copying” from their masters and other painters in the centuries prior.
Raphaelle Peale, Peaches Covered by a Handkerchief, 1819.
Oil on panel, 12.5 x 18”
Philadelphia Museum of Art,
Gift of the McNeill Americana Collection, 2015-1-2
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