Still Life with Apples on an 'East Indian' Plate

Executed in oil on canvas, Hörner employs a restrained palette that emphasizes the contrast between the vivid fruit and the muted, dark brown tabletop. The plate’s blue‑and‑white floral motif is rendered with fine brushwork, while the subtle modeling of the apples conveys a tactile sense of surface and light.

Created in the mid‑18th century, the painting entered the Statens Museum for Kunst’s holdings, where it remains on display. Its provenance reflects the museum’s broader effort to assemble representative works of Northern European genre painting from the period.

Hörner’s still life aligns with a tradition of Northern European artists who depicted ordinary objects with a heightened sense of realism. The inclusion of an ‘East Indian’ plate hints at the growing presence of imported goods in European households during the era, marking a subtle reference to expanding trade networks.