Bottle of Rosé Wine

Artist: Juan Gris (Spanish, 1887–1927)

Original Dimensions: 18 1/8" x 15"

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

About Artwork: (Paris, 1914) "In place of the virtuoso imitations of materials and textures created by seventeenth-century Dutch and Spanish painters, Gris relied on wood-grain wallpaper, a cutting from Le Matin, Scaferlati tobacco packaging, and the top of a box of matches. The fancy lettering of the “Vin Rosé” label was his own handiwork, however. Complementing the impression of a dimly lit table at night, the leading report in the newspaper concerns the strikes and power cuts that had formerly plunged Paris into darkness. Scaferlati tobacco was nicknamed “le cube gris” because of the cubic form of its grayish package; incorporated into his collages, it served as a punning substitute for Gris’s missing signature." - (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)