Artwork
Plate of Peaches
Plate of Peaches is an oil painting by the Realist artist Henri Fantin-Latour. It dates from 1862 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Overview
Henri Fantin‑Latour’s 1862 oil painting, *Plate of Peaches*, presents a modest still‑life arrangement. A white dish rests on a dark wooden surface, bearing three ripe peaches, a pale apple, and a knife with a black‑handled grip. The composition is framed by a deep brown backdrop, emphasizing the simple, everyday objects without decorative excess.
Subject & Meaning
The work focuses on ordinary fruit and a kitchen utensil, reflecting the Realist interest in portraying mundane subjects as worthy of artistic attention. By arranging the peaches and apple with careful balance, Fantin‑Latour invites viewers to consider the quiet beauty of commonplace items and the fleeting nature of their freshness.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil, the painting employs a restrained palette of reds, yellows, and browns, allowing subtle shifts in hue to model form. Light falls gently on the plate, creating a modest chiaroscuro effect that separates the luminous fruit from the shadowed table. The brushwork is precise, rendering the skin of the fruit and the metallic sheen of the knife with clarity.
History & Provenance
Created during Fantin‑Latour’s early career, the piece belongs to his series of still‑lifes that ran alongside his portraits of Parisian cultural figures. The painting entered the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it remains on view, contributing to the museum’s representation of mid‑19th‑century French Realism.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ignace Henri Jean Theodore Fantin-Latour (French pronunciation: ; 14 January 1836 – 25 August 1904) was a French painter and lithographer best known for his flower paintings and group portraits of Parisian artists and writers.
