Description
During the later part of the 1700s, fruit still lifes were extremely popular, and a basket of plums was a common motif. In Vallayer's painting the details, especially the plums and the basket, emerge from deep shadows. The colors are vivid reds and violets and a sense of immediacy is invoked by the growing moss, the cakes in their crisp papers, and the glass of water with its sparkling highlights and reflections.
Provenance
Baron Herzog, Budapest, Hungary; Axel Ryden, Stockholm, Sweden (1918); Osborn Kling, Stockholm, Sweden (1934); (Sale: H. Bukowski, Stockholm, Sweden, September 25-26, 1934, no. 323) (September 25-26, 1934); Thorsten Laurin, Stockholm, Sweden, and his daughter Mrs. B. Stjernsward, Sakanor, Sweden (1938); (Sale: Sotheby's, London, June 24, 1970, no. 4) (June 24, 1970); [Old Masters Gallery, London, England]; [H. Shickman Gallery, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art (-1971); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1971-)
Accession Number
1971.47
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Unframed: 38 x 46.2 cm (14 15/16 x 18 3/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund