Still Life with Cucumbers Tomatoes and Vessels

The work was painted in 1774 by Luis Egidio Meléndez and is documented as part of the cabinet of natural history assembled by the Prince of Asturias, the future Charles IV of Spain.

It entered the Royal Palace of Aranjuez and later formed part of the holdings of Ferdinand VII of Spain. By the early twenty-first century it was in the Museo del Prado, Madrid, inventoried as P00930.

The painting has been exhibited internationally, including in Madrid in 1989 and in Dublin, Washington, Los Angeles, Boston, and El Pito (Cudillero) between 2004 and 2012.

Still Life with Cucumbers Tomatoes and Vessels is part of the Museo del Prado collection in Madrid, with inventory number 930. The painting was created in 1774 and has been exhibited internationally, including at the National Gallery of Ireland in 1989, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. in 2008, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2009-2010. It was also shown at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 2010 and at El Pito in Cudillero in 2012.

Luis Egidio Meléndez's Still Life with Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Vessels (1774) exemplifies Spanish still-life painting of the late 18th century, reflecting the decorative tradition of bodegones associated with the court of Ferdinand VII. The work features a meticulously arranged composition of eleven cucumbers, seven tomatoes, and assorted kitchen utensils including a ceramic bowl from Alcorcón, a metal vessel, and a vinegar cruet, all rendered in varied tonalities against a wooden table surface. It was housed in the royal collection, originating from the prince of Asturias's cabinet before moving to the Palacio de Aranjuez, and is now part of the Museo del Prado's permanent display in Madrid.

The painting has been featured in major exhibitions across Madrid (1989), Dublin (2004), Washington (2008), Los Angeles (2009–2010), Boston (2010), and Cudillero (2012), underscoring its significance within Meléndez's oeuvre and Spanish art history.

The work has been repeatedly included in monographic exhibitions dedicated to Meléndez, which have helped consolidate its reputation as a canonical example of Spanish still-life painting of the late eighteenth century. It appeared in Madrid in 1989, in Dublin from June to September 2004, in Washington from May to August 2008, in Los Angeles from September 2009 to January 2010, and in Boston from January to May 2010, as well as in El Pito (Cudillero) from June to September 2012.

Within the Prado, the painting is displayed in room 88 and carries inventory number 930, underscoring its status as a key object in the museum’s holdings of eighteenth-century Spanish art.

Luis Egidio Meléndez’s 1774 oil painting presents a modest arrangement of kitchen produce and vessels on a wooden surface. Green cucumbers and red tomatoes sit beside a large bowl and a small jug, all rendered with a restrained palette of muted greens, browns, and reds. The composition emphasizes the quiet dignity of everyday objects, characteristic of Meléndez’s approach to still life.