The object in context
The Royal Museums’ 2016 selection identifies this work by Salvador Dalí: oil on canvas, inventory 7223, dated 1946. Its inventory number distinguishes the Brussels object from versions or reproductions elsewhere. The old list records a collection location in 2016, not a guarantee of display today.
Try this when you look
Trace a line from a small foreground form to a distant one. Compare apparent weight with the supports shown beneath it. Describe an impossible relationship precisely before attaching a symbolic meaning. This is a useful companion to Magritte: both invite careful description before a quick label such as “surreal”.
Before you visit
Use the inventory number when checking the museum’s current collection information. Modern works in this selection were not all part of the same permanent gallery: five featured in a specific 2016 Patio presentation. Plan around confirmed display, not an archived room number.
- The object in context: The Royal Museums’ 2016 selection identifies this work by Salvador Dalí: oil on canvas, inventory 7223, dated 1946.
- Try this when you look: Trace a line from a small foreground form to a distant one.
- Before you visit: Use the inventory number when checking the museum’s current collection information.