Monticelli painted relatively few still-lifes and the majority of these were painted between 1875 and 1885. Van Gogh knew and admired the work of Monticelli. In a letter to his brother Theo written from Arles in 1888 Vincent wrote, "Monticelli prenait quelquefois un bouquet de fleurs pour motif de rassembler en un seul panneau tout la gamme de ses tons les plus riches et les plus equilibres." A similar picture to the present work, also executed circa 1875-1880 is in the Vincent van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam (see C. & M. Garibaldi, Monticelli, Geneva, 1991, illustrated in colour p. 127)

To be included in volume III of the Monticelli catalogue raisonné currently being prepared by Sauveur Stammegna.