Clarinet and Bottle of Rum on a Mantelpiece
- Artist: Georges Braque
- Date: 1911
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 810 x 600 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Clarinet and Bottle of Rum on a Mantelpiece” by Georges Braque. Painted in 1911 with oil on canvas, it shows a horizontal clarinet lying across a mantelpiece, a small bottle marked RHU – the first three letters of the French word for rum – in front, and the word VALSE in the lower centre, hinting at waltz music. Scattered clef fragments and musical notes give the scene a playful, almost musical rhythm. Braque layers geometric shapes, sharp angles and bold black lines to give depth to the objects and the mantel, turning the still‑life into a puzzle of planes. The work was created during a summer he spent with Pablo Picasso in the Pyrenees, a period when they both explored analytical cubism and shared a fascination with ordinary objects. It’s a striking example of how Braque broke everyday items into interlocking facets while still keeping them recognisable, inviting us to listen to the visual music the painting plays.
See it in person
Clarinet and Bottle of Rum on a Mantelpiece is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
