The Oak Door

Alexander Pope

1887 · Oil on oak · The American Wing

The carvings and illustrations with which Pope began his artistic career usually portrayed living birds and animals. William Michael Harnett’s accomplishments apparently inspired him to attempt trompe-l’oeil (“deceive the eye”) still lifes in the 1880s. This work, a trophy of the hunt, depicts with extraordinary accuracy a Remington Arms rifle, a crocheted game bag, and a dead ring-necked pheasant. Rather than simulating the grain of an oak door, Pope painted on an oak panel, added a matching oak frame, and delineated Renaissance Revival hinges, an escutcheon of Chippendale design, and a lion’s-head pull.

Artist

Alexander Pope

Date

1887

Medium

Oil on oak

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1965