Some six to eight thousand years ago, an unknown Persian viticulturist made the startling and pleasant discovery that “spoiled,” fermenting grapes could be turned into quite an intriguing beverage. By 2500 BC, wine had become the drink of choice for Egyptian royals, and by 1500 BC the drink had spread through Europe courtesy of the Greeks. It was the Romans, however, who really turned winemaking into an art, classifying grape varietals and developing advanced propagation and storage techniques.

Closely tracking the long history of winemaking art is the equally long history of wine in art. From paintings of the winemaking process found on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs to the glasses of wine commonly appearing in Western painting of the last five centuries, works of art across the millennia have honored the beverage, attesting to its prominent role in our cultural history.

This folio of notecards features details from two still lifes separated in time by nearly two hundred years and in place by thousands of miles of ocean. Yet they share the depiction of a tradition still enjoyed the world over today: a bountiful meal complemented by a glass of wine. Both works are in the collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Ten full-color 5 x 7" blank notecards (5 each of 2 styles) with envelopes in a decorative folio. Details from still lifes by Abraham Mignon and Severin Roesen published with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.