|
All manner of fruits are presented to the observer on a richly laid table - apples, peaches, red and white grapes piled high in a basket and a porcelain dish or scattered across the Oriental rug. On the left edge of the work, we see a lemon in a rummer glass with the peeled rind hanging elegantly over its brim. Various animals and birds perch and scuttle around amongst the fruit.
This work is an impressive display of opulence. The artist brings the objects close to the beholder by cutting off the heavy, crumpled rug at the edge of the work. The piece is characterised by such dynamism that it almost contradicts the definition of "still-life": The blue and white porcelain dish is precariously tilted, the apple on the left almost falls from the table, a bird clings upside down from a slender vine branch. The sumptuousness of the arrangement is emphasised by the heavy blue curtain in the background, an attribute of courtly representation.
The vivid colours also underline the feeling of opulence: The blue parrot presiding over the scene, the shiny red apples, the yellow lemon peel, the green birds. However, the bright colours were not simply chosen for their own sake, but serve to convey the textures of the objects depicted, such as the pink of the fluffy peach skins or the yellow of the slightly wilted vine leaves.
The painting is signed and dated lower left: B. VAN DER MEER 1686.
| 
