France / 1769
Basket of Plums
Basket of Plums
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Basket of Plums as painting (France · 1769).
WHY IT’S INTERESTING
The artist painted a companion to this work—a plate of peaches and branch of cherries.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas and credits Anne Vallayer-Coster (French, 1744–1818).
The museum's collection notes: 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.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtBasket of PlumsOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.