John Frederick Peto

Victor D. Spark, New York

M. Knoedler & Co., New York (acquired from the above in 1954)

Donald & Jean Stralem (acquired from the above in 1954)

Sotheby's New York, May 25, 1995, lot 134 (consigned by the above)

Wolf Family Collection No. 1109 (acquired from the above)

This intimate still life composition is emblematic of John Frederick Peto's output from the turn of the 20th century. Some of his favorite objects—a candlestick, pipe and inkwell—rest on an unsteady stack of old books. Books appear frequently in Peto's oeuvre; not only did he appreciate them as sources of knowledge and ideas, but the varied sizes, colors and textures of books provided Peto with endless compositional possibilities.

Here, the viewer's eye moves cautiously across the carefully arranged and precariously balanced composition. The pyramidal arrangement of objects is anchored solidly by a brass candlestick, and the monochromatic palette of brown and dark green is accented by the pristine white of the candle. A torn book hangs tenuously off the edge of the table by a single thread—an evocative, dramatic motif used frequently in Peto's work of this period.