The elements depicted, rather than appearing to be superimposed in a disorganized and occasional manner, appear distributed according to a compositional meter aimed at a precise delineation of the vegetables, almost posed, identifiable in their peculiarities through the luministic effect of the sunset light. Hence the simplifications also of the relative vision of the background, which allows greater concentration on the foregrounds, where among other things a fountain on the right stands out, enlivened by the continuous jet of water.
Still Life Still life refers to the representation of inanimate subjects, as opposed to that with living figures. This particular term was introduced in Italy at the end of the 18th century, improperly translating the Dutch expression still-leven, or literally immobile nature. The painting of fruit, vegetables, furniture and objects in general, although already present in the Middle Ages, flourished exponentially at the end of the 16th century, an artistic expression of the fervent naturalistic curiosity that was the protagonist of the previous century and revived by the scientific discoveries of the 16th century. In Italy, it was especially after the Council of Trent in 1563 that still life acquired a new and renowned symbolic value: from that date, in fact, inanimate objects were considered capable of possessing an evocative and devotional power. The present still lifes include a series of canvases recovered through complex restoration interventions. Some of them have allowed us to trace the relative authors, either by compositional affinity or by identifying the signature, while others have revealed the dependence on models that became references in the chronological span of the eighteenth century.