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Source Description
Understood in the 1700s as a delightful, intellectual game, trompe l’oeil paintings and drawings such as this one were devised to “trick the eye” as the French term suggests. Toeing the line between realism and deception, the details of these compositions expose them as elaborate illusions. Here, Jacobus Cornelis Meyer’s image invites the viewer to uncover the trick. While the print depicted at center alludes to a well-known Dutch comedy revolving around hidden identity, the open curtain and fictional tears and creases in the papers encourage the viewer to physically reach out and break the illusion.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
132938
label
Trompe l'Oeil Still Life
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
132938
contentType
drawing
title
Trompe l'Oeil Still Life
description
Understood in the 1700s as a delightful, intellectual game, trompe l’oeil paintings and drawings such as this one were devised to “trick the eye” as the French term suggests. Toeing the line between realism and deception, the details of these compositions expose them as elaborate illusions. Here, Jacobus Cornelis Meyer’s image invites the viewer to uncover the trick. While the print depicted at center alludes to a well-known Dutch comedy revolving around hidden identity, the open curtain and fictional tears and creases in the papers encourage the viewer to physically reach out and break the illusion.
date
c. 1754
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80025050
creators
13230
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Sheet: 37.3 x 27.4 cm (14 11/16 x 10 13/16 in.)
cul
Netherlands
accession
1955.376
Source extras
tec
pen and ink, point of brush and black ink wash, watercolor and gouache
tombstone
Trompe l'Oeil Still Life, c. 1754. Jacobus Cornelis Meyer (Dutch, active 1700s). Pen and ink, point of brush and black ink wash, watercolor and gouache; sheet: 37.3 x 27.4 cm (14 11/16 x 10 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Brown, 1955.376
supportMaterials
description
three sheets (joined) of cream(2) laid paper
collection
DR - Dutch
inscriptions
inscription
signed, lower right, in gray watercolor: Jacobus Cornelis Meyer / van Spanbrock
didYouKnow
In addition to tricking the eye, trompe l’oeil images like this one were meant to demonstrate an artist’s skill.
creditline
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Brown
updatedAt
2026-06-02 11:23:17.590000
sourceId
132938
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - Dutch
med
pen and ink, point of brush and black ink wash, watercolor and gouache
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
f9676d38fd677733