Thomas ColeAmerican, 1801–1848The Titan's Goblet
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Room733New York, United States
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
The Titan's Goblet is an oil painting by the English-born American landscape artist Thomas Cole. Painted in 1833, it is perhaps the most enigmatic of Cole's allegorical or imaginary landscape scenes. It is a work that "defies full explanation", according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Titan's Goblet has been called a "picture within a picture" and a "landscape within a landscape": the goblet stands on conventional terrain, but its inhabitants live along its rim in a world all their own. Vegetation covers the entire brim, broken only by two tiny buildings, a Greek temple and an Italian palace. The vast waters are dotted with sailing vessels. Where the water spills upon the ground below, grass and a more rudimentary civilization spring up.
Particulars
- Accession number
- 04.29.2
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art: the museum's own open data · fetched 7 days ago
- Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Open Access (CC0)
Meanwhile, in the life of Thomas Cole
The whole life1825–1848
89 paintings at the National Academy of Design
From the founding of the National Academy of Design in 1825 until Cole's death, 89 of his paintings were shown at its exhibitions.
1829–1832
First journey to Europe: England and Italy
Cole spent these years abroad, mainly in England and Italy.
July 1832
A letter to his friend Daniel Wadsworth
Cole wrote emotionally to Daniel Wadsworth, his close friend and patron, that years apart had never dimmed his memory of their friendship.
