Sportsman's Trophy
Artist:
Alexander Pope
(American, 1849 - 1924)
Place made:United States, North and Central America
Date: 1898-1899
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
52 1/4 x 48 1/2 in. (132.7 x 123.2 cm)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by The Brown Foundation
Object number: 77.998
Signed: Signed lower left on calling card: Mr. Alexander Pope
Signed and dated on verso: Painted by Alexander Pope 1898-99
Provenance: Acquired by SAMA on 24 January 1974; Ex. coll. Private Collection
Label Text
The highly detailed realism of this large scene of hunting tools, antlers, and dead game, belongs to a tradition in late nineteenth-century American art called trompe l’oeil painting. In French, the phrase means “Fool the eye.” Still lives like this delighted their viewers because their naturalism seemed to blur the lines between reality and representation.
Alexander Pope was originally better known as a painter of animals. After becoming aware of the success of trompe l’oeil paintings, he tried his hand at them. Sportsman’s Trophy reveals that he became a master at the tradition.
(William Keyse Rudolph, 2014)
Alexander Pope was originally better known as a painter of animals. After becoming aware of the success of trompe l’oeil paintings, he tried his hand at them. Sportsman’s Trophy reveals that he became a master at the tradition.
(William Keyse Rudolph, 2014)
Not on view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
