Artwork
Fruit and Flowers
Fruit and Flowers is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Orsola Maddalena Caccia. It dates from 1630 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The still-life Fruit and Flowers by Orsola Maddalena Caccia (1630) centers on a carefully arranged composition of fruit, prominently an apple, and a tulip, emblematic of contemporary Italian still-life imagery. The apple evokes both the Fall of Man and abundance, while the tulip, a prized luxury bloom in the 17th century, signals transience and the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures. Such arrangements, common in Caccia's oeuvre, reflect Counter-Reformation conventions that use lush, perishable goods to prompt reflection on mortality and divine order.
The work's iconography aligns with the still-life genre's broader moralizing intent, positioning earthly beauty as a contemplative prompt within a sacred framework.
Technique & Style
The oil medium allows subtle gradations of tone and luminous color to model the fruit, including an apple, and a tulip.
Fruit and Flowers is executed in oil on canvas, a common support for 17th-century Italian still-life painting. The oil medium allows subtle gradations of tone and luminous color to model the fruit, including an apple, and a tulip. The composition balances a modest arrangement of objects against a muted background, emphasizing formal clarity and restrained decorative detail consistent with Orsola Maddalena Caccia's output. Specific condition details are not recorded in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Fruit and Flowers is an oil-on-canvas still life created by Orsola Maddalena Caccia in 1630, depicting fruit and a tulip. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which acquired the painting in 2020 and catalogues it under accession number 2020.263.2. The specific details of its original commission and earlier ownership chain are not detailed in the available records, and no exhibition history is provided.
The work remains a significant example of Caccia's contribution to the still-life genre in the early seventeenth century.
Overview
Orsola Maddalena Caccia's oil painting, "Fruit and Flowers," presents a rich still life composition. The artwork showcases an abundant arrangement of various fruits and blossoms, set against a deep, dark background. This piece exemplifies the artist's skill in capturing the natural world with detailed observation and a vibrant palette, characteristic of her contributions to the genre.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Orsola Maddalena Caccia, born Theodora Caccia (1596–1676) was an Italian mannerist painter and Catholic nun. She painted religious images, altarpieces, and still lifes.
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