Artwork
Basket of Fruits
Basket of Fruits is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Balthasar van der Ast. It dates from 1622 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
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About this work
Technique & Style
Balthasar van der Ast painted Basket of Fruits in 1622 using oil on panel, a support typical of Dutch Golden Age still-life painting.
Balthasar van der Ast painted Basket of Fruits in 1622 using oil on panel, a support typical of Dutch Golden Age still-life painting. The work measures 18.1 × 22.8 cm, indicating a small, intimate format suited to detailed close-up depiction. As a still life in the fruit genre, the painting exemplifies the meticulous naturalism characteristic of van der Ast's approach to still-life subjects, with careful attention to the textures, colors, and forms of the depicted fruit.
The oil medium on panel support allowed for the smooth finish and precise rendering of surface details that distinguish early seventeenth-century Dutch still-life painting.
History & Provenance
Basket of Fruits by Balthasar van der Ast entered the collection of Princess Amalia van Solms in The Hague by August 1632, according to an inventory of the Prince of Orange's household. The painting later passed through several private hands, including Levij Pakker and Mrs. Beaumont in England, before appearing at a Christie, Manson & Woods sale in London on 19 March 1906. Subsequently handled by Fritz Gerstel Gallery in Berlin and sold at Kunstsalon Keller & Reiner in January 1908, it was acquired by Kunsthandel Gebr.
Douwes in Amsterdam around 1938 and sold to Dr. Hans Wetzlar by 1952. After a 1977 Sotheby Mak van Waay auction in Amsterdam, John Mitchell & Son in London brokered its purchase by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia, in November 1977. The Mellons gifted the panel to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1992, where it remains in the collection.
Overview
Basket of Fruits, an oil on panel painting from approximately 1622, is a characteristic work by Balthasar van der Ast, a prominent Dutch Golden Age artist. Active from the late 16th to mid-17th century, van der Ast was renowned for his meticulously rendered still lifes. This particular piece showcases his dedication to the genre, presenting a carefully composed arrangement of various fruits. It exemplifies his detailed observation of the natural world within a domestic setting.
Subject & Meaning
The painting features a bountiful collection of fruit, including grapes, peaches, plums, and a fig, artfully arranged in a basket. This overflowing composition rests upon a stone ledge, suggesting a moment captured from daily life. The artist's choice to depict such an abundance of produce highlights the beauty and transience of nature's offerings, a common theme in Dutch still life painting.
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Artist
Balthasar van der Ast (Middelburg, 1593/94 – Delft, 7 March 1657) was a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in still lifes of flowers and fruit, as well as painting a number of remarkable shell still lifes; he is…
