The Spirit in the Household Furniture: Still Life with Cat

Around 1910 the liberal politician Friedrich Naumann published a little book called Der Geist im Hausgestühl, the spirit in the household furniture. It was a set of letters, probably invented, from an uncle advising his niece on how to furnish a home sensibly and cheaply. Macke borrowed the title with a wink. Along the left edge of the table he painted a dedication, to his dear mother this spirit in our household furniture, 18 February 1910. The mother was his mother-in-law, Sophie Gerhardt, and the picture was her birthday present. According to his wife Elisabeth, the tabby cat in profile at the front went in last, because her mother did not much care for pure still lifes. The paint is noticeably thicker there, laid over what was already on the canvas. On the wall behind hangs his own pastel of three carved wooden musicians that had come to him from his father's estate. The canvas has been at the Lenbachhaus since 2010, on permanent loan from a family foundation.