Artwork
Still Life with Limes Oranges Haw Berries and Watermelon
Still Life with Limes Oranges Haw Berries and Watermelon is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Luis Egidio Meléndez. It dates from 1760 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Overview
Although his talent was not fully appreciated during his lifetime, he is now recognized as one of Spain's most accomplished artists in this field.
Luis Egidio Meléndez, an eighteenth-century Spanish painter, completed Still Life with Limes, Oranges, Haw Berries and Watermelon in 1760. Executed in oil paint, this work exemplifies his mastery of the still-life genre. Although his talent was not fully appreciated during his lifetime, he is now recognized as one of Spain's most accomplished artists in this field. The painting meticulously renders a collection of fruits and household items.
Subject & Meaning
The composition features a robust green watermelon prominently placed atop a dark surface, surrounded by vibrant oranges, yellow-green limes, and small red haw berries. A glass bottle and a metal pitcher recede into the background, while scattered leaves add organic detail. Meléndez’s meticulous arrangement elevates these common items, inviting viewers to observe the beauty and variety found in everyday provisions.
Technique & Style
Meléndez demonstrates a keen eye for realism through his handling of light and shadow. He carefully depicts how illumination interacts with each surface, creating both reflective highlights and deep, muted tones. This precise attention to varying textures and volumes imbues the fruits and objects with a tangible, three-dimensional quality, making the scene appear remarkably lifelike and immediate to the viewer.
History & Provenance
Despite his significant contributions to Spanish art, Meléndez received limited public recognition during his lifetime in the Rococo period. Today, he is celebrated as a preeminent still-life painter of his era. This particular work, created in 1760, is a notable example of his oeuvre and is housed in the esteemed collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, where it represents his enduring artistic legacy.
Artist & collection
Artist
Luis Egidio Meléndez (1716–1780) was a Spanish painter. Though he received little acclaim during his lifetime and died in poverty, Meléndez is recognized as one of the greatest Spanish still-life painters of the 18th…
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