The Cup of Death (Primary Title)

Elihu Vedder, American, 1836 - 1923 (Artist)

Books
1885
American
oil on canvas
United States
Unframed: 44 3/8 × 20 3/4 in. (112.71 × 52.71 cm)
Framed: 56 1/2 × 32 1/2 in. (143.51 × 82.55 cm)
76.38.3

So when the Angel of the darker Drink At last shall find you by the river-brink, And, offering his Cup, invite your Soul Forth to your Lips to quaff—you shall not shrink.

The above passage from the forty-ninth quatrain of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám inspired this haunting image by Elihu Vedder of ultimate acceptance. The painting derives from Vedder’s 1884 masterwork—fifty-six illustrations for a deluxe edition of Edward FitzGerald’s translation of the 12th-century Persian text. Vedder’s illustrations to the translated text, which speculates on the mysteries of existence and death, struck a chord with abroad American public traumatized by the Civil War, shaken by the scientific theories of Darwin, and further challenged by foreign immigration, massive industrialization, and growing social discord.

Signed at lower right: "Copyright 1899 by Elihu Vedder"
Verso: Upper left: VMFA tag; MFA Boston exhibition sticker: " A New World: Masterpieces of American Painting 1760 - 1910" / MFA Boston Sept. 7 - Nov. 13, 1983 / Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washting ton Dec. 7 - June 11, 1984 / 83 Artist: Vedder / The Cup of Death / Virginia Museum of Fine Arts"; sticker: "#98"; Upper center: "PAFA / 1889: Am. Artist at the Worlds Fair / 9/15/89 - 7/30/90 / cat no. 98 / [under that]: (mostly obscured): "______ casa Italy" / Elihu Vedder / 68 Capo la Casa / Rome, Italy Upper left center: old photo sticker Upper right: Tate Gallery exhibition sticker Bottom left center: Rome customs stamp: "30 ma-- ROMA" Center support: Vose Galleries sticker: "Elihu Vedder / 'The Cup of Death' / #22427 #24909 / size 48 1/4 x 20 1/2"
Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund
The Age of Rossetti, Burne-Jones & Watts: Symbolism in Britain, 1860-1910, Tate Gallery, London, October 16, 1997 – January 4, 1998; Haus der Kunst, Munich, February 5 - May 3, 1998; Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, May 14 – August 23, 1998

Paris 1889: American Artists at the Universal Exposition, The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va., September 29 – December 31, 1989; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA, January 26 – April 15, 1990; Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN, May 6 – July 15, 1990

A New World: Masterpieces of American Painting 1760 - 1910, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, Mass., September 7 – November 13, 1983; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., December 6, 1983 – February 12, 1984; Grand Palais, Paris, France, March 16 – June 11, 1984

American Painting and Symbolist Aesthetics, 1885 - 1917, Grey Art Gallery, New York University, New York, NY, October 24 – December 8, 1979

Perceptions and Evocations: The Art of Elihu Vedder, National Collection of Fine Arts, Washington, D.C., October 13, 1978 – February 4, 1979; Brooklyn Museum, NY, April 28 – July 8, 1979

Doll and Richards Gallery, Boston, MA, March 18 – April 1887
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC

Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.