Apples, Pears and Grapes on a Table

During the period 1870-71 Courbet was first imprisoned at Sainte-Pelagie and lated stayed in Dr. Duval's nursing home at Neuilly. Courbet was imprisoned for six months because he was accused of being involved in the demolition of the Column at the Place Vendôme, the monument being one of the targets of popular resentment against the Bonapartes. In his own words Courbet had only spoken about removal of the Column. During this time he painted his first fruit still lives. In one of the letters his sister Zoë had written to her friends she mentions 'At present Gustave is painting fruit. He had never done that before ... Gustave is delighted with himself. He says he has never painted anything with such lovely colours' (G. Mack, Gustave Courbet, London, 1951, p. 294). As he wasn't allowed to paint from live models, the turnkeys in his cell and the fruit and flowers his friends and family brought him were the only objects available. On 12 December 1871 Zoë wrote 'I am able to bring him all sorts of things ... I brought him his brushes and canvasses; his window is large enough, he is on the second floor facing south; ... I bring him flowers and fruit to paint ...' (op. cit, p. 291).

The X-ray photographs of the present work show a still life of fruit, fish and a glass underneath.

This work has been examined and authenticated by Jean-Jacques Fernier.
To be included in the forthcoming supplement to Jean-Jacques Fernier's catalogue raisonné.