Max Weber American, 1881-1961
35.6 x 25.4 cm
Executed in 1921, The Pewter Cup experiments with multiple surface planes, echoing the collage-like compositions reminiscent of Synthetic Cubism. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque begun incorporating collage in 1912, initiating the later phase of the Cubist impulse, which saw additional textures, patterns, brighter colors, and collage incorporated into their paintings. The recurrent presence of pewter cups in Weber’s still life practice underscores his appreciation for objects of significance within his surroundings. As Weber explained, “We are in things. I need a cup or a garment; so much of my life’s need is in them that they are essential to my life. (Max Weber, Essays on Art, New York: William Edwin Rudge, 1916, p. 33)
Provenance
The artist; toEstate of the artist, 1961; to
Max Weber Foundation, 2021 until the present