ticketsMember | Make a donation

The Afternoon Meal (La Merienda)

ca. 1772
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 641
Meléndez’s refined still life embodies an elegant, courtly mode of eighteenth-century Spanish painting. It dates from the moment that he received a commission of forty-four still lifes to decorate the royal palace and former hunting lodge of Aranjuez. This painting is exceptional, however, for its grand size and the inclusion of a luscious landscape. A picnic basket justifies the work’s traditional title, The Afternoon Meal (in Spanish, La Merienda), and evokes aristocratic excursions away from Madrid’s summer heat, while the local produce and traditional cookware deliberately ennoble Spanish culture.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Afternoon Meal (La Merienda)
  • Artist: Luis Meléndez (Spanish, Naples 1716–1780 Madrid)
  • Date: ca. 1772
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 41 1/2 x 60 1/2 in. (105.4 x 153.7 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982
  • Object Number: 1982.60.39
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Virgin and Child, Bartolomé Estebán Murillo Spanish, Oil on canvas
Virgin and Child
Bartolomé Estebán Murillo
1670s
The Holy Family with Saints Anne and Catherine of Alexandria, Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto) Spanish, Oil on canvas
The Holy Family with Saints Anne and Catherine of Alexandria
Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto)
1648
Sebastián Martínez y Pérez (1747–1800), Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) Spanish, Oil on canvas
Sebastián Martínez y Pérez (1747–1800)
Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)
1792
The Young Virgin, Francisco de Zurbarán Spanish, Oil on canvas
The Young Virgin
Francisco de Zurbarán
ca. 1632–33
The Supper at Emmaus, Velázquez (Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez) Spanish, Oil on canvas
The Supper at Emmaus
Velázquez (Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez)
1622–23

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

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.