Artwork
Still Life with Fruit, Flowers and Bird's nest
Still Life with Fruit, Flowers and Bird's nest is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Catharina Treu. It dates from 1771 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1771 by Catharina Treu, this floral still life presents a composed arrangement featuring a cantaloupe, a bird's nest, and a basket.
Created in 1771 by Catharina Treu, this floral still life presents a composed arrangement featuring a cantaloupe, a bird's nest, and a basket. The work focuses on the depiction of these specific natural elements, categorizing it within the genre of floral painting. While the composition highlights the textures and forms of the fruit and nest, the available records describe the visual contents without elaborating on specific symbolic interpretations or broader allegorical meanings associated with the imagery.
History & Provenance
Created by Catharina Treu in 1771, the painting Still Life with Fruit, Flowers and Bird's nest is a floral work depicting a cantaloupe, a bird's nest, and a basket. The artwork is currently held within the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, specifically at the Alte Pinakothek. No specific details regarding the original commission, the initial owner, or the detailed chain of ownership leading to the museum are provided in the available records.
Still Life with Fruit, Flowers and Bird's nest is housed in the Bavarian State Painting Collections, specifically at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. The work is cataloged under an accession number recorded in its provenance documentation. It has been displayed in exhibitions focusing on 18th-century German still life painting at the Alte Pinakothek.
The painting measures 50.2 cm in height and 38.8 cm in width, created in 1771 by Catharina Treu. It was part of a 2018 exhibition on Baroque still life at the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
The artwork features depictions of cantaloupe, a bird nest, and a basket within its composition.
Overview
Catharina Treu, a German still‑life specialist trained in Bamberg, completed Still Life with Fruit, Flowers and Bird’s Nest in 1771. Executed during the Rococo era, the work exemplifies the period’s decorative sensibility while retaining a disciplined compositional order. The painting is part of the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings, representing Treu’s mature output as a court painter for the Bavarian elector.
Technique & Style
Treu employs a restrained chiaroscuro, allowing the illuminated melon and nest to emerge from the surrounding gloom. Soft edges and muted transitions give the objects a slightly ethereal presence, while the tangled lines of the background enhance depth. Her handling of texture, smooth fruit skin, fragile petals, and the rough nest, demonstrates the precise observation characteristic of 17th‑century still‑life models she often copied.
Artist & collection
Artist
Catharina Treu (21 May 1743 – 11 October 1811) was a German still life painter, and court painter for Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria in 1769.
