Afternoon Tea
c. 1880
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
34.9 × 28.6 cm (13 3/4 × 11 1/4 in.); Framed: 42.6 × 38.1 × 6.4 cm (16 3/4 × 15 × 2 1/2 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
186425
Art Historical Context
Jean-François Rafaëlli’s *Afternoon Tea* (c. 1880) captures a quiet moment of Parisian social life during the Belle Époque. Working in oil on canvas, Rafaëlli, a Realist painter associated with the Impressionists, often depicted everyday scenes with attentive detail. The modest scale of this work—roughly 14 by 11 inches—invites viewers into an intimate domestic setting, where the ritual of afternoon tea reflects the refined customs of the French middle class at the time. The medium allows for subtle gradations of light and texture, bringing warmth to the composition and emphasizing the tactil...