Artwork
Siberian Apple
Siberian Apple is a drawing by the Romanticist artist Mary Altha Nims. It dates from 1804 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
It depicts a solitary branch bearing vivid red berries and three glossy green leaves, set against an unadorned background that emphasizes the natural hues.
Created around 1804, the drawing titled “Siberian Apple” is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection. It depicts a solitary branch bearing vivid red berries and three glossy green leaves, set against an unadorned background that emphasizes the natural hues. The artist’s hand‑written title appears in the lower corner, identifying the subject by its colloquial name rather than a botanical term.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays a single twig of a shrub whose berries are locally called “Siberian Apple,” a nickname rather than a true fruit. By isolating the branch, the drawing invites close observation of the plant’s form and color, suggesting an interest in the everyday beauty of a modest, perhaps unfamiliar, botanical specimen.
Technique & Style
Rendered in fine lines and subtle shading, the drawing achieves a high degree of realism through meticulous attention to the texture of the leaves and the smooth, rounded berries. The restrained palette—deep reds, fresh greens, and muted browns—combined with a plain background, allows the forms to emerge with a near‑photographic clarity.
History & Provenance
Attributed to Mary Altha Nims, the piece dates to the early nineteenth century and has been in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings for several decades. Documentation links the work to Nims’s broader practice of botanical illustration, a genre that enjoyed popularity among naturalists and collectors of the period.
Artist & collection
