Still Life with a Plate of Cherries Plums a Pitcher and Cheese

Still Life with a Plate of Cherries, Plums, a Pitcher and Cheese was painted by Luis Egidio Meléndez in 1760, executed in oil on canvas. The work entered the collection of Ferdinand VII of Spain, who is recorded as a former owner. It subsequently became part of the holdings of the Museo del Prado, where it is held today.

The painting is associated with the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, indicating its historical placement within that royal residence.

The documented ownership path thus moves from Meléndez's studio in 1760 into Spanish royal hands under Ferdinand VII, and from the royal collections into the custodianship of the Museo del Prado. No commission details, intermediate private owners, or earlier provenance entries are recorded in the available sources.

The work is held by the Museo del Prado, with inventory number P00671.

It was exhibited at the Real Museo de Pinturas in Madrid in 1872 (no. 116).

The painting was also shown at the exhibition "Luis Meléndez: Pintor de bodegones" held at the Museo del Prado, Madrid, in 1987 (cat. no. 18).

Luis Egidio Meléndez’s oil painting, completed in 1760, presents a modest still‑life arrangement on a darkened tabletop. A white pitcher with a blue floral motif, a metal plate brimming with red cherries, a wedge of pale cheese, and two yellowish apples are positioned to draw the eye across the composition. The work belongs to the Rococo period and is part of the Museo del Prado’s collection.

Created during the Rococo era, the work reflects the period’s interest in decorative elegance and intimate subjects. In Spain, still‑life painting offered a venue for artists like Meléndez to demonstrate virtuoso observation of nature and material culture, aligning with broader European trends while retaining a distinctly Spanish sensibility.