
Raphaelle Peale, Venus Rising from the Sea–A Deception, c. 1822, oil on canvas, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri
I’m taking a few days of vacation. While I’m gone, you might want to ponder the intriguing painting, Venus Rising from the Sea–A Deception by American artist Raphaelle Peale (1774-1825), one of the country’s first still life specialists.