Still Life with Apples, Sherry, and Tea Cake

Raphaelle Peale

National Gallery of Art

This painting is a still life featuring several objects arranged in a line. On the far left is a red apple with its stem toward us. Next to it is a transparent glass goblet with a hint of golden liquid inside. To the right of the glass is a blue plate with a large yellow apple next to what look like dark red dates or raisins. Resting beside the plate is a thin brown twig with green leaves. Farthest to the right is a small round yellow cake with white frosting, decorated with a pink dot in the center of the frosting and four green ovals around it. The surface these objects rest on is light gray, and they cast dark shadows, indicating light coming from the left. The wall behind the objects is mostly black, which transitions into a lighter gray color on the far-right side of the painting.