Artist:
George Cope
(American, 1855 - 1929)
Indian Relics
Medium: Oil on canvas
Date: 1891
Dimensions:
30 1/4 × 22 in. (76.8 × 55.9 cm)
Accession number: 77.6
Label Copy:
George Cope was born near West Chester, Pennsylvania, and lived most of his life in Chester County. As the popularity of illusionistic trompe l’oeil (paintings that “fool the eye”) increased in the late nineteenth century, Cope turned his attention to still-life works. Indian Relics would have appealed to his patrons as both a trompe l’oeil and as a Western-themed painting. It depicts Native American artifacts including two pipes of the type made by Plains Indians in the early nineteenth century; trade beads, also from the nineteenth century; spear points believed to date from before 400 A.D.; a stone ax head that may date from before 800 A.D.; a Ketland trade pistol, and a bowie knife.
George Cope was born near West Chester, Pennsylvania, and lived most of his life in Chester County. As the popularity of illusionistic trompe l’oeil (paintings that “fool the eye”) increased in the late nineteenth century, Cope turned his attention to still-life works. Indian Relics would have appealed to his patrons as both a trompe l’oeil and as a Western-themed painting. It depicts Native American artifacts including two pipes of the type made by Plains Indians in the early nineteenth century; trade beads, also from the nineteenth century; spear points believed to date from before 400 A.D.; a stone ax head that may date from before 800 A.D.; a Ketland trade pistol, and a bowie knife.
Curatorial Remarks
George Cope lived most of his life in the West Chester area of Chester County, Pennsylvania. An avid hunter and fisherman, Cope’s many landscapes of the local countryside reflect his devotion to nature. It is for his trompe l’oeil work, however, that he is best known today. Cope first took up the style about 1887, when it was at its height of popularity. He quickly mastered the art of illusionism and drew the attention of the local press and collectors. His reputation grew, and in the 1890s he received commissions from wealthy collectors in Philadelphia and elsewhere.
Indian Relics would have appealed to patrons of the day as both a trompe l’oeil and as a Western-themed painting. One of Cope’s most original trompe l’oeil compositions, it depicts Native American artifacts that the artist may have collected on a trip West as a young man in the late 1870s. It includes two pipes of the type made by Plains Indians in the early nineteenth century; trade beads, also from the nineteenth century; spear points believed to date from before 400 A.D.; a stone ax head that may date from before 800 A.D.; a Ketland trade pistol and a bowie knife. A clipping lies across the ax head, enticing one to read the virtually indecipherable text. The painting’s illusionism is heightened by the shadows, bullet holes, and the nail that seems to protrude into the viewer’s space. Textures, especially in the painting of the wooden board and the knife blade, are masterfully rendered.
George Cope lived most of his life in the West Chester area of Chester County, Pennsylvania. An avid hunter and fisherman, Cope’s many landscapes of the local countryside reflect his devotion to nature. It is for his trompe l’oeil work, however, that he is best known today. Cope first took up the style about 1887, when it was at its height of popularity. He quickly mastered the art of illusionism and drew the attention of the local press and collectors. His reputation grew, and in the 1890s he received commissions from wealthy collectors in Philadelphia and elsewhere.
Indian Relics would have appealed to patrons of the day as both a trompe l’oeil and as a Western-themed painting. One of Cope’s most original trompe l’oeil compositions, it depicts Native American artifacts that the artist may have collected on a trip West as a young man in the late 1870s. It includes two pipes of the type made by Plains Indians in the early nineteenth century; trade beads, also from the nineteenth century; spear points believed to date from before 400 A.D.; a stone ax head that may date from before 800 A.D.; a Ketland trade pistol and a bowie knife. A clipping lies across the ax head, enticing one to read the virtually indecipherable text. The painting’s illusionism is heightened by the shadows, bullet holes, and the nail that seems to protrude into the viewer’s space. Textures, especially in the painting of the wooden board and the knife blade, are masterfully rendered.
On view