A still life with artichokes in a blue and white vase, a salt cellar, a knife and two glass cruets

Born in Montauban in southern France, Valette-Penot studied at the Académie Royale in Toulouse. He is thought to have spent the majority of his career in this region, exhibiting at the Toulouse Salon on several occasions, but also travelled extensively throughout France and to Rome. He was known in particular for his trompe l’oeil still lifes at a time when the genre was at its peak in France. Although the present work follows the format of the more traditional tabletop still life, the artist seeks to trick the viewer’s sense of perspective: a knife teeters precariously on the edge of the table, the diagonal of its handle creating greater depth in the composition. Dramatically lit from the right and set against an austere black background, Valette-Penot masterfully exploits the surfaces of the glass cruets and ceramic vessels to full effect, the light reflecting and refracting off their smooth, curved surfaces.