Artwork
Basket of Fruit
Basket of Fruit is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Bartolomeo Cavarozzi. It dates from 1620 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
These elements align with traditional European still-life iconography, where fruit symbolizes abundance, fertility, and the transience of life.
The painting depicts a still life of fruit arranged in a basket, including apples, grapes, and a pomegranate. These elements align with traditional European still-life iconography, where fruit symbolizes abundance, fertility, and the transience of life. Apples and grapes, common in 17th-century still lifes, often carried associations with knowledge, temptation, or the Eucharist, while the pomegranate could signify resurrection or eternal life.
The arrangement emphasizes naturalism rather than overt religious or moralizing intent, reflecting the genre’s growing focus on sensory perception and the beauty of everyday objects during this period.
Technique & Style
Bartolomeo Cavarozzi's Basket of Fruit, created in 1620, is an oil painting executed on canvas. The work belongs to the still-life genre and depicts a naturalistic arrangement of fruit, specifically including apples, grapes, and a pomegranate. As a product of the early 17th century, the piece utilizes oil paint to render the textures and forms of the produce with attention to detail.
The support material is identified as canvas, which serves as the foundation for the pigment application. The composition focuses entirely on the depicted botanical subjects, characteristic of the artist's specialization in this genre. The painting is currently held within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is cataloged with the accession number 2020.263.5.
The work reflects the stylistic approach of Cavarozzi, who is sometimes associated with the Master of the Acquavella Still-Life.
History & Provenance
Basket of Fruit is a 1620 oil‑on‑canvas still‑life painted by Bartolomeo Cavarozzi. The painting is documented in the Metropolitan Museum of Art catalogue as accession 2020.263.5 and is part of the museum’s European paintings collection. Its creation is recorded as a fruit still‑life, featuring apple, grape, and pomegranate, and it has been exhibited in the museum’s galleries since its acquisition.
The work reflects the artist’s activity in the early Baroque period and is classified within the still‑life genre.
Overview
This oil painting, titled Basket of Fruit, presents a still life composition. It depicts a woven basket overflowing with various fruits positioned on a dark, unadorned surface. The artist's focus on naturalistic detail and the interplay of light and shadow creates a vivid representation of the perishable bounty, setting a contemplative mood through its rich, dark background.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Bartolomeo Cavarozzi (1587–1625), occasionally referred to as Bartolomeo Crescenzi, was an Italian caravaggisti painter of the Baroque period.
