UNKNOWN MASTER, Italian
(active in the 1590s)

Marble Fruits

1590s
Marble, stone, height 7 cm (apples), 11 cm (pear)
Ambras Castle, Innsbruck

The dimension, form and colouring of both the apples and the pear, together with rotting brown sections, leave no doubt that these fruits were intended to create a complete illusion for the viewer. Only upon holding them does it become clear that the fruit is made of painted marble with the addition of stone stems. These marble fruits were kept by Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol along with other illusory stone objects (candies, eggs).