A study of peaches, lemons and crabapples

The spacious, informal composition, fine detailing and high degree of finish make this Study of peaches, lemons and crabapples a fascinating and rather unusual addition to Gerard van Spaendonck's oeuvre. A fine example of the artist's technical finesse, the superb rendering of the fruit further enhances van Spaendonck's reputation as a true master of botanical and fruit still-life painting, in a range of media and on any scale.

Gerard van Spaendonck was a French painter and printmaker who was appointed miniature painter to Louis XVI in 1774, and who contributed a series of botanical studies to the Vélins du Roi as a member of the Académie. His adoption of watercolor as a medium instead of the more traditional gouache was later taken up by his most famous pupil, Pierre-Joseph Redouté.