Artwork
Still Life with Plate of Apricots and Morello Cherries
Still Life with Plate of Apricots and Morello Cherries is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Luis Egidio Meléndez. It dates from 1773 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Overview
Luis Egidio Meléndez’s 1773 oil painting presents a modest tabletop arrangement: a white, shallow dish brimming with ripe apricots and dark‑red Morello cherries, accompanied by a few green stems and leaves. The composition rests on a dark‑toned wooden surface, the background receding into shadow, creating a quiet, focused scene that highlights the fruit’s natural colors and textures.
Subject & Meaning
The work concentrates on everyday nourishment, offering a straightforward yet careful study of seasonal produce. By placing the fruit in a relaxed, almost spontaneous cluster, Meléndez suggests the immediacy of a harvest just gathered, while the subdued setting invites contemplation of the material world’s quiet beauty without overt symbolic narrative.
Technique & Style
The fruit’s skin is rendered with subtle gradations that convey volume, while the glossy porcelain of the plate reflects a faint sheen.
Executed in oil, the painting demonstrates Meléndez’s precise handling of light and surface. The fruit’s skin is rendered with subtle gradations that convey volume, while the glossy porcelain of the plate reflects a faint sheen. The dark background functions as a neutral field, allowing the saturated hues of the apricots and cherries to emerge with clarity, characteristic of late Rococo still‑life realism.
History & Provenance
Created toward the end of Meléndez’s career, the piece was not widely recognized during his lifetime, a period when his meticulous still‑lifes were often overlooked. It entered the collection of the Museo del Prado, where it now resides as part of the museum’s holdings of 18th‑century Spanish painting, offering insight into the artist’s mature approach to genre subjects.
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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