Artwork
Still Life with Plums Figs and Bread
Still Life with Plums Figs and Bread is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Luis Egidio Meléndez. It dates from 1751 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition was painted for the Royal Palace of Aranjuez and entered the collection of Ferdinand VII of Spain.
The painting shows a simple still life of bread, figs and plums arranged on a tabletop. These items carry traditional meanings of abundance and domestic nourishment in 18th-century Spanish still life. The work reflects the modest yet symbolic representation of everyday foodstuffs favored by the Spanish court.
The composition was painted for the Royal Palace of Aranjuez and entered the collection of Ferdinand VII of Spain.
The painting measures 41 cm in height and 62 cm in width and is executed in oil on canvas.
Technique & Style
Still Life with Plums, Figs and Bread is executed in oil paint on canvas, a medium Luis Egidio Meléndez used consistently for his still-life compositions. The relatively modest dimensions of 41 by 62 centimeters indicate an intimate cabinet-picture scale rather than a large decorative panel. The work belongs to the still-life genre, depicting bread among its subjects, and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado, with an associated location at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. The painting dates to 1751.
History & Provenance
The work was painted in 1751 by Luis Egidio Meléndez as part of a still-life series produced in Madrid during the mid-eighteenth century.
By 1816 the painting had entered the Spanish royal collection under Ferdinand VII, who installed it at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, where it remained as part of the crown’s holdings. The Prado later absorbed the Aranjuez holdings, and the piece has been conserved at the Museo del Prado since its foundation, with location records noting its presence at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.
Overview
Luis Egidio Meléndez’s oil painting Still Life with Plums, Figs and Bread was completed in 1751. Executed on a modest wooden tabletop, the composition gathers a handful of ripe plums, a cluster of figs, and a loaf of bread wrapped in cloth, all arranged around a silver dish. The work belongs to the Prado Museum’s collection, representing a typical 18th‑century Spanish still‑life.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Luis Egidio Meléndez (1716–1780) was a Spanish painter. Though he received little acclaim during his lifetime and died in poverty, Meléndez is recognized as one of the greatest Spanish still-life painters of the 18th…
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Bodegón con pichones cesta de comida y cuencos
