Grape Wine

1966

Not on view

This striking portrait depicts Willard Snowden, a drifter who lived in the artist’s Pennsylvania studio for several years and sat for several paintings in the mid-1960s. Wyeth used tempera and set him before a featureless background, elements characteristic of Renaissance portraiture—thereby elevating the humble sitter like the nobility typically featured in such paintings. Sensitively rendered at life-size in a palette of russet browns, the portrait is rich with subtle detail, from the texture of the man’s sweatshirt to the glint of light on his ear and collar. The title may be a reference to Snowden’s habit of greeting studio visitors with a glass of wine, or to the back of this panel, which Wyeth painted a ruby red.

Artwork Details

Title: Grape Wine
Artist: Andrew Wyeth (American, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania 1917–2009 Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania)
Date: 1966
Medium: Tempera on Masonite
Dimensions: 26 1/8 × 29 1/8 × 5/16 in. (66.4 × 74 × 0.8 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Gift of Amanda K. Berls, 1967
Object Number: 67.61
Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

By Andrew Wyeth

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

A Crow Flew By, Andrew Wyeth American, Egg tempera on wood — A Crow Flew By
Andrew Wyeth
1949–50

Study for "Spring Evening", Andrew Wyeth American, Graphite on paper — Study for "Spring Evening"
Andrew Wyeth
1950

Overgrown Orchard, Andrew Wyeth American, Watercolor and opaque watercolor on paper — Overgrown Orchard
Andrew Wyeth
1959

Turkey Cove Ledge, Andrew Wyeth American, Watercolor over graphite on paper — Turkey Cove Ledge
Andrew Wyeth
1939

September Light, Andrew Wyeth American, Watercolor and brush and black ink over graphite on paper — September Light
Andrew Wyeth
1952

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.